In “Fatal Vows: You Only Die Once,” an Investigation Discovery documentary, the brutal killing of 40-year-old electrician Frank Parker in Valparaiso, Indiana, in February 2002 is detailed. When the detectives were at a standstill, a helpful informant showed up with a key piece of information that enabled them to solve the homicide. We’ve got your back whether you’re curious about what happened next, who the killers were, or where they are right now. So let’s get started, shall we?
How Did Frank Parker Die?
Frank On February 25, 1961, in Maryland, Jay Parker was born to the late Russell Parker and Elizabeth (née Butt). He was a young, devoted electrician who relocated to Florida in search of a fresh start. According to his lover Kathy Witmer, “Frank had a smile that stretched from ear to ear. His eyes would only twinkle when he smiled. Michael Sarkey, a coworker, described him as a solid worker who was enthusiastic and a little introverted.
When accompanying one of his brothers to an AA meeting in Florida, Frank met Kimberly “Kim” Baldwin. Kim was outgoing, unlike Frank, but he had the courage to propose to her. Before being married on September 25, 1991, the two were in a short-term relationship. Grahm, a boy who Kim already had from a prior relationship, was born to the couple together with a daughter called Katie. Nevertheless, the couple’s marriage crumbled, and they went through a contentious divorce.
For Kim’s supervised visit with the kids on February 16, 2002, Frank placed the kids off at a children’s home in Valparaiso, Porter County, Indiana. However, when the allotted visitation time had passed, the home’s administrators got in touch with Kathy, Frank’s emergency contact, when he still hadn’t shown up. Kathy contacted him numerous times after becoming worried about his boyfriend before showing up at his house and seeing the 40-year-body old’s lying facedown on the living room floor.
Officers were astounded by the homicide’s ferocity when they got on the scene. Frank discovered many puncture wounds on his back after being struck in the head by a shotgun that had been sawed off. The detectives also located a bloodied brick near the side of his head, indicating the culprit used it to shatter Frank’s head. The murder’s excessive violence suggested that the killer had a personal grudge against the victim. Also, the fact that his home had not been broken into led the authorities to believe that the murderer was someone who was aware of Frank’s propensity to leave the backdoor unlocked.
Who Killed Frank Parker?
When the heartbroken girlfriend Kathy was questioned by the police, they discovered that she believed Kim, Frank’s ex-wife, was the main suspect in the killing. She described Kim to the officers as a cunning, envious, and overly controlling lady. The programme claimed that Kim had a traumatic past that included a dysfunctional family, alcoholism, and drug usage. When she was 16 years old, she had a child with a past partner there, but she made the decision to leave him with his father’s family since she knew she couldn’t raise a child by herself.
Kim, who had come to Florida in search of a new beginning at the age of 19, met Frank in an AA meeting. Despite being an unusual couple, they began dating and shortly after were married. Gradually, their marriage began to suffer from Kim’s dominant personality and tendencies. Despite the difficulties in their relationship, everyone he worked with and knew of Frank’s love for his kids. Frank received a job offer with a good salary, and the couple chose to relocate to Valparaiso, Indiana, so that Kim could spend more time with her newborn.
Frank and Kim moved into their new home with the hopes that a fresh start would strengthen their marriage. At first, everything appeared to be going well. Yet after a few years, the couple decided to get divorced because their relationship was once again plagued by past problems. After their divorce, Kim was given sole custody of the kids, with frequent visitations for Frank. But, the devoted father was not willing to go through with the plan and frequently argued with Kim, accusing her of bringing the kids to him on purpose late.
After a few contentious encounters with his ex-wife and Dean Batalis, who was once her lover, Frank began to move on with his life. When he first met Kathy Witmer, a nurse, they clicked right away. Kim allegedly became envious of Frank dating another lady and began interfering in their personal affairs. Kathy claimed that Kim was the cause of both her job loss and the infringement of her child’s visitation rights. Kim even filed a bogus report alleging that Frank had molested and mistreated their children despite numerous requests from Frank for her to leave his life alone.
The judge terminated her parenting rights and gave Frank full custody of their children after learning about the bogus claims. Kathy lost her children as well as the sizable child support payment made by Frank. Because she was with the kids when Frank was killed, she had a solid motivation while the police looked into his killing, but she also had a solid alibi. Several suspects were questioned by the police, including Dean Batalis and Kathy’s ex-husband.
Unfortunately, their alibis were credible, and after a few days of the murder, the police ran out of leads. However, they made progress when Donna, a member of Kim’s support group, entered the police station carrying a tip. She claimed that a few days prior to the murder, she overheard Kim and her boyfriend, Findley Paul Thompson, discussing plans to murder the latter’s ex-husband. Donna assumed it might just be chatter, so she was stunned to learn of Frank’s murder.
Where Are Kimberly Baldwin and Findley Paul Thompson Now?
Paul, a resident of Portage, was hauled in for questioning by the detectives, and he almost instantly confessed to the killing. He said Kim had told him Frank had touched their kids and that she had offered him $10,000 to shoot him. She had given him the shotgun that had been sawed off and informed him about the unlocked backdoor. Frank was shot in the head by Paul while he waited for him to return from the children’s home. Paul stabbed Frank with a screwdriver from his case and then hit his head with a brick when he didn’t pass away.
Kim received a 115-year prison term after being found guilty in December 2004 of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and aiding in murder. In addition to the first-degree murder allegation, Paul received an 85-year sentence. As Kim filed an appeal against her conviction, the Porter County judge threw out her previous sentence and resentenced her to 85 years in February 2008. Paul passed away while serving a sentence in prison, according to official court records, while Kim, who is in her late 50s, remains incarcerated at the Rockville Correctional Institution. The soonest she can be released is in August 2040.
