A South Australian Supreme Court jury has been told that Johnathan Paul Parker, 51, strangled his housemate Krystal Marshall before setting her body on fire in an attempt to destroy evidence. The gruesome allegations emerged during the opening of Parker's trial on Monday.
Charges and plea
Parker has pleaded not guilty to murder but has admitted to destroying human remains to pervert the course of justice. The trial, before Justice, is ongoing.
Prosecutor Jim Pearce KC told the court that Parker killed Marshall at their shared home in Aldinga Beach, in Adelaide's south, in October 2023. Her charred remains were discovered face down on her bed after firefighters extinguished a blaze at the property.
The alleged crime
Pearce said Parker had a problem on his hands — a dead body in the front bedroom. The next day, he set fire to her body to destroy the evidence. The court heard that Parker locked the bedroom door, spread petrol throughout the house, placed furniture in the hallway, and lit five separate fires inside the property.
A post-mortem examination confirmed that Marshall was dead before the fire started. Pearce told the jury that Parker allegedly confessed to a friend, saying he grabbed her around the throat and squeezed, and when he let go, she fell face first onto the bed.
Possible motive
The court heard that Marshall had wanted Parker to move out of the house, and that this issue may have been a catalyst for her death. Police body-camera footage played in court showed officers arriving to panic and chaos on the day of the blaze, with Parker insisting he had no idea where Marshall was.
The trial continues.
