Jamerus P. Parkman, 35, pleaded guilty on Friday, Oct. 23, to murder and burglary in the death of Susan Haynie, 75, a well-known, longtime real estate agent in Evansville, Indiana. The plea came just days before his trial was set to begin, and he is set to be sentenced on Dec. 2, according to court records cited in the report. No sentence is stated in the article, and none is given here.
Haynie’s body was found in the basement of her home on Gum Street in Evansville. Officers were first called to the home on the afternoon of Aug. 27 for a reported medical emergency, Evansville police said, and Haynie was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators soon after said the case was being investigated as a homicide. The article describes the death as occurring in August last year.
Parkman was accused of strangling Haynie and leaving her body in the basement. Investigators said at the time of his arrest that they believed he entered the house through an unlocked door before killing her, as reported by WEVV.
Investigators said Parkman, released from prison six months before the incident, was initially considered a person of interest. By the following month, he had been charged with burglarizing the home and murdering Haynie. Police said preliminary results from physical evidence linked him to the murder.
Evansville Police Sgt. Anthony Aussieker, speaking to WEVV at the time, said Parkman was staying in a local hotel at the time of his arrest. Investigators seized several items from his room, including a tablet, which allegedly showed he was in Haynie’s yard at the time of her death.
In the weeks before, investigators and the Evansville Courier & Press reported, Parkman was captured on surveillance footage in backyards of homes in Evansville’s Vann Park neighborhood. In at least two incidents, he allegedly burglarized parked cars. In another, he allegedly attempted to enter a home while wearing a mesh bag over his head.
Parkman initially denied any involvement, according to an affidavit obtained by the Courier & Press, and originally pleaded not guilty. He then changed his plea to guilty just days before his trial was set to begin.
Parkman was paroled in February 2025 after serving 13 years of a 35-year sentence for burglary, robbery and attempted rape between 2008 and 2010, the Courier & Press reported, with Sgt. Aussieker speaking via WEVV. After Haynie’s death, the local community was described as outspoken, with some questioning why Parkman was released early after he had confessed to committing five burglaries in his last case, including an incident in which a woman said he ripped her clothing off and attempted to rape her, per the outlet.
Haynie’s murder inspired advocates to pass Indiana House Bill 1250, a law requiring the Department of Correction to notify the prosecuting attorney, the county sheriff and the chief of police of the county or municipality into which it would release a serious violent felon, as well as the same officials in the county or municipality where the crime took place, at least seven days in advance.
Haynie’s obituary remembered her as a lifetime Evansville resident who combined deep community roots with professional expertise to give clients personalized, caring service; as a dedicated real estate professional and cherished friend whose generosity and spirit touched those who knew her; and as someone with a gift for turning entertaining opportunities into memorable experiences and making friends’ lives more joyful. She is survived by several sons and grandchildren, the obituary notes.
