In Utah, Tryston Erickson remains jailed after a judge found enough evidence for aggravated murder charges to proceed.
PROVO, Utah — More than three years after a Spanish Fork couple was found shot inside their home, the man accused in their deaths is scheduled for arraignment June 10.
Tryston Robert Erickson is accused of killing his mother, Jeannie Parker, and his stepfather, Timothy Parker, then leaving Utah in Jeannie Parker’s car. A judge has ordered him to stand trial after preliminary hearings this spring. The ruling marks the first major step forward since competency proceedings delayed the case for much of the past two years.
The criminal case began March 14, 2023, after police were asked to check on the Parkers because they had not been showing up for work. Officers went to the couple’s home in Spanish Fork, a Utah County city south of Provo, and tried to make contact. They entered through an unlocked window and found both Parkers dead in a basement bedroom. Police said the bodies were partially covered with blankets and both victims had gunshot wounds.
The home became a major evidence scene. Officers reported finding about two dozen firearms, including a group of guns stacked near a basement couch. They also found ammunition, bullet casings, holes in walls and doors, pill bottles, drug paraphernalia, an open safe and blood residue on stairs leading to the basement. Court documents say investigators believed someone had tried to clean blood from the house. Clothing that appeared to have blood on it had been placed in the laundry, police said.
Investigators then looked for Erickson, who lived in the house with the Parkers. He was gone, and so was Jeannie Parker’s Hyundai Elantra. Police said Erickson did not have permission to use the car. Detectives checked phone location information for family members and found that Jeannie Parker’s phone had pinged near Steamboat Springs, Colorado. That information shifted the search from Utah County to the Colorado mountains.
Colorado officers later spotted the missing Hyundai near Kremmling. Police said Erickson led them on a pursuit before he was stopped and arrested in Grand County. Officers said they found a handgun in his waistband and two more firearms inside the car. They also found bank cards belonging to other family members, according to court records. Erickson was held in Colorado before being returned to Utah to face charges in the deaths of the Parkers. Statements attributed to Erickson became part of the charging documents. Police said he first told investigators that he had last seen Jeannie and Timothy Parker during dinner on March 13, 2023. He later admitted taking the car and phone, police said. Asked why he had gone to Colorado, Erickson said he had wanted to go for a drive. Investigators also said he made a remark about knowing jail was likely and wanting “a little fun.”
The state’s timeline also includes evidence from Erickson’s phone. Police said they found photographs of the Parkers’ bodies on the device, with a date of March 12, 2023. The photographs were allegedly taken two days before officers found the bodies. Neighbors also reported seeing Erickson outside the home on March 12, smoking a cigarette. Prosecutors are expected to use those details to argue that Erickson knew of the deaths before anyone requested the welfare check.
The days before the discovery are likely to receive close attention at trial. Timothy Parker was last seen leaving work in the afternoon on March 11. Jeannie Parker missed work on March 11 and March 13, and neighbors said she missed church on March 12. Co-workers later received a message from Jeannie Parker’s phone that said she had found a new job. Police said that message was suspicious because she had not told anyone at work she planned to leave and had not given notice.
Investigators also documented possible tension over Erickson’s place in the home. Timothy Parker’s co-workers told police that Timothy had said he was trying to evict Erickson. Court records do not say the alleged dispute has been proven as a motive. They do show that investigators considered it relevant enough to include in affidavits and charging documents. The question of motive, if prosecutors raise it at trial, would be weighed with the physical evidence, witness statements and digital records.
The charges against Erickson include two counts of aggravated murder. Each count is a first-degree felony. He also faces obstruction of justice and theft charges, along with abuse or desecration of a human body, three counts involving firearm possession or use as a restricted person and unlawful possession or use of a financial card. The listed charges reflect both the killings and what police say happened afterward, including the missing car, the alleged cleanup and items found during the arrest.
The court process slowed in early 2024 when Erickson’s competency became an issue. Competency is a legal question about whether a defendant can understand proceedings and assist counsel. It is separate from guilt, innocence or criminal responsibility. After several hearings, Erickson was found competent in December 2025. That finding allowed the preliminary hearing to move forward in 2026. Fourth District Judge Thomas Low heard evidence March 18 and May 1 before ordering the case bound over for trial.
A bindover order means the judge found probable cause for the charges to proceed. It is not a conviction and does not settle disputed facts. Prosecutors still must prove their case at trial if Erickson pleads not guilty. Defense attorneys can challenge evidence, question witnesses and file motions before a jury hears the case. As of the latest public court reporting, no trial date had been announced.
The June 10 arraignment is the next scheduled milestone. Erickson is expected to be asked to enter pleas to the charges. From there, the case could move into scheduling, pretrial motions and a future trial. Erickson remains in custody while the prosecution continues.
Author note: Last updated June 2, 2026.