CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind. — A Crawfordsville man was sentenced to 50 years in prison as part of a plea agreement in the death of his wife, nearly two years after her head was found in the cellar of the couple’s home.
Michael Parks was sentenced on Friday in the Montgomery County Courthouse. He was originally set to take part in a jury trial before entering the plea agreement on a murder charge.
Prosecutors say Parks killed his wife Hope Parks at their home on County Road 225 either on or a few before August 20, 2020.
He originally told police she went missing after they got into an argument.
When police investigated the Parks’ home, dried blood was found in the driveway and garage.
After obtaining a search warrant, police found Hope Parks’ severed head buried in their cellar. It was determined she had been shot in the back of the head. She also suffered blunt force trauma to her chest and extremities.
Police also found additional hair and plastic bags containing blood-covered rags in a hole in the cellar floor.
