CLEARFIELD – A local couple will stand trial for murdering the woman’s estranged husband.
After a preliminary hearing on Wednesday, District Judge Jerry Nevling ruled that all charges against Danielle Elizabeth Parks, 37 and Bryan S. Michaelis, 48, of Morrisdale, be sent on to the court of common pleas for further disposition.
They are both charged with criminal homicide, conspiracy, aggravated assault, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person and tampering with physical evidence in connection with the death of Kodey Lee Parks, 33, of Drifting, on Feb. 24.
Testimony during the hearing came from several state police troopers who outlined the details of the alleged conspiracy and murder.
Police were called to the residence in Morris Township at 11:30 p.m. that night to investigate a shooting. Once on-scene, police learned that Kodey Parks had been shot in the upstairs hallway. He was deceased.
Danielle Parks told them that after the two exchanged custody of their children outside the home, Kodey came into the house and fought with her.
She said in her first interview that he was pulling her hair and had her on the ground when she pulled the gun and shot him.
In a later interview, she stated she dropped the gun and Michaelis picked it up and shot Kodey, testified Cpl. Terry Bush, one of the investigators on the case.
She explained that after the shooting, she got her children, aged six and three, out of Kodey’s vehicle, and settled in front of the TV with a movie.
She and Michaelis left the home and traveled to another residence where he had her fire the gun so she would have gun shot residue on her hands, before she returned alone to the home and called 911.
In his cross examination of Bush, attorney Joe Ryan representing Michaelis, asked about the trip to another residence. Bush confirmed that gun casings were recovered there.
The investigation revealed Michaelis had been in the county jail, but was released on Feb. 23 when Danielle Parks posted his bail.
After this, they went to Rural King where they purchased a 22 caliber handgun, Tpr. Austin Woodcock said in his testimony.
Woodcock reviewed video from the store as well as a surveillance video taken near the residence where the pair went after the shooting.
It showed a vehicle there around 11:05 p.m., which left a few minutes later. Afterwards a fire was seen in the backyard and a person was walking around it.
Phone calls between the two recorded while Michaelis was still incarcerated at the jail were reviewed.
One included a conversation during which Michaelis commented Kodey better be hiding because he was coming for him.
Danielle responded, something like “won’t you go to jail for that,” according to the testimony of Trooper Emerson Miller.
Trooper Michael D’Andrea, the officer who filed the charges, testified that he recovered the gun in a van parked outside that belonged to Danielle Parks’ father. It was the same one purchased from Rural King.
Under cross examination by Lance Marshall, attorney for Danielle Parks, D’Andrea stated that Danielle and Kodey were still married, but she had filed for divorce after getting a protection from abuse order against him.
Online court documents indicate Kodey Parks had two criminal cases pending: one for strangulation and the other for burglary. He was also sentenced in December and January for violating the PFA.
D’Andrea explained that the exchange of custody was being arranged by a third party and Kody had been repeatedly trying to set this up for “an extended period of time” that day.
It was eventually agreed for him to pick up the children at Danielle’s father’s home at 10:30 p.m.
D’Andrea stated that investigators have the messages given to them by the woman and also from Kodey’s phone.
According to the affidavit, the last message the woman got from him was at 10:42 p.m. in which he stated he had the kids.
In his closing argument, Marshall stated that the Commonwealth had not proven a case for murder or conspiracy. Just because they bought the gun together, he argued, there was no evidence she agreed to kill Kodey.
They would not have any way to know when or how they would have contact with Kodey, he noted. Her story was consistent that Kodey attacked her first.
Michaelis’ attorney, Ryan, agreed with these points.
District Attorney Ryan Sayers argued in his closing, simply that Michaelis stated he was going to go after Kodey. After he was released from jail, they purchased a gun within an hour and used it the next night to kill Kodey.
They conspired by going to another location for Danielle to shoot the gun to cover their story, and the video footage shows them at that place shortly after the shooting.
Whether it was self-defense or not, is a question for a jury, Sayers noted.
“They shot him and tried to conceal what actually happened.”
Both Danielle Parks and Michaelis are being held in the Clearfield County Jail without bail.
