Published: May 08, 2008 02:29 am            

Palestine man gets 10 years for murder

PALESTINE — A 44-year-old Palestine man convicted of murder more than a quarter century ago pled guilty to the same charge relating to a different offense late Wednesday afternoon at the Anderson County Courthouse.

Shortly after 4 p.m. Wednesday, George Robert Guthrie, 44, of Palestine pled guilty to stabbing 37-year-old Regina Gayle Parker of Palestine to death outside a local apartment complex during the late afternoon hours of April 15, 2007.

In a plea agreement between the state and defendant, Guthrie was sentenced to 10 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice by 87th State District Judge Deborah Oakes Evans.

Murder is a first-degree felony punishable by five-to-99 years or life in prison and a fine not to exceed $10,000.

Authorities have said Parker was stabbed to death by Guthrie outside his apartment at the Daisy Lane Apartments at 101 Daisy Ln., just south of the Palestine city limits.

The previous day, the pair had been involved in some type of “confrontation” which also involved other persons, according to authorities.

“A case like this is a tragedy for the victim and the victim’s family,” Scott Holden, assistant district attorney for Anderson County, told the Herald-Press Wednesday afternoon. “There is a reason the punishment range is five-to-99 years (or life). The facts of this case, the punishment fits the facts that we had. But nothing will ever replace the loss of a loved one.”

Shortly after 5:30 p.m. on April 15, 2007, representatives of both the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office and the Palestine Police Department responded to a disturbance call at the apartment complex.

Upon their arrival, authorities say they discovered a white female identified as Parker laying face down on a second-story walkway outside of Guthrie’s apartment. Efforts to revive the stabbing victim at both the scene and later Palestine Regional Medical Center were unsuccessful.

Holden told the Herald-Press that there were three witnesses to the confrontation leading to Parker’s death — one of whom has since been murdered in another county in an unrelated incident.

The two living witnesses have told authorities that the incident began when Parker, who was armed with a knife with the blade exposed, confronted Guthrie outside his second-floor apartment.

Witnesses have said Guthrie was initially able to “hold” the woman back by shielding himself with a rod used to hang clothes, according to Holden.

“She struck out at him with her knife and may have touched his sleeve, but did not injure him,” Holden said.

Witnesses have said Guthrie responded to the threat by using his own “lock blade pocket knife” to first stab Parker in the heart, according to Holden. As she fell and lost control of her weapon, Guthrie then stabbed her a second time in the back, he stated.

An autopsy performed at the Southeast Texas Forensic Science Center in Tyler showed Parker died as a result of the fatal stab wound to the heart which penetrated her aorta.

Although the fatal wound was the first, Holden said it could have been considered “self-defense” since witnesses have stated Parker was the first to produce and attempt to use a deadly weapon.

The second stab wound, however, was an offensive move by Guthrie since the victim was no longer a threat at that point, the assistant district attorney indicated.

“He stabbed her in the back after the victim had dropped her knife and was no longer a threat,” Holden said.

The assistant district attorney said Parker’s family “also agreed with the terms of the plea agreement.”

Guthrie was represented by local defense attorney Mark Cargill.

Records have shown Guthrie was previously convicted of murder in Anderson County in 1982, receiving a 10-year prison sentence.

Anderson County sheriff’s authorities have said Guthrie’s criminal history also includes convictions for unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and DWI.

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Paul Stone may be contacted via e-mail at pstone@palestineherald.com

        

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