A Utah man is headed to trial after photos on his phone allegedly showed his victims’ bodies — taken the day before police even knew they were dead.
When police in Grand County, Colorado finally caught up with Tryston Erickson — after a high-speed chase in a car he wasn’t supposed to be driving — they asked him a simple question: why did he run? His answer was chilling. “I knew I was going to jail anyway,” he allegedly told investigators, “and I thought I would have a little fun.”
Back in Spanish Fork, Utah, his mother and stepfather were lying dead in the basement of their own home — and had been for days.
Erickson, now 30, faces trial for the alleged murders of his mother, Jeannie Parker, 50, and stepfather, Timothy Parker, 58, whose bodies were discovered on March 14, 2023, after coworkers grew concerned when the couple failed to show up for work.
“I knew I was going to jail anyway, and I thought I would have a little fun.” — Tryston Erickson, to police, after a high-speed chase in Colorado
Officers responding to a welfare check found a disturbing scene: both victims lying in a basement bedroom, partially covered with blankets. The house contained roughly two dozen firearms, bullet casings, blood on the staircase leading to the basement, and signs that someone had attempted to scrub the crime scene — blood-stained clothing was found in the laundry.
Investigators quickly zeroed in on Erickson, who lived in the home with the couple. He was gone, and so was Jeannie Parker’s Hyundai Elantra — a car he was explicitly not permitted to drive. Her cell phone pinged a location in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.
The detail that may prove most damning: when police examined Erickson’s phone, they found photographs of the Parkers’ bodies. The images were timestamped March 12 — two full days before police were even called to the house. A neighbor placed Erickson outside, smoking a cigarette, the same day.
Timeline of events
- Mar 12, 2023: Phone photos of victims taken — Erickson seen outside home by neighbor
- Mar 13, 2023: Erickson later tells police this was the last time he saw the Parkers — over dinner
- Mar 14, 2023: Police conduct welfare check; both bodies discovered in basement
- Mar 14, 2023: Erickson apprehended after high-speed chase in Colorado’s Grand County
- Dec 2025: Erickson deemed competent to stand trial after 2024 competency hearings
- Jun 10, 2026: Arraignment scheduled; double murder trial moving forward
According to charging documents, Timothy Parker’s coworkers told investigators that he had been attempting to evict Erickson from the home in the days leading up to his death — a potential motive prosecutors may present at trial.
Erickson initially told detectives he last saw the Parkers on March 13 at dinner. He later admitted to stealing the car and the phone. Police also recovered firearms and bank cards belonging to other family members from his possession.
He was arrested, extradited to Utah, and charged with a serious slate of offenses:
The path to trial has been long. In early 2024, proceedings were delayed after a motion to assess Erickson’s competency to stand trial. After multiple hearings, he was declared competent in December 2025. Following additional hearings in March and May 2026, a judge ruled sufficient evidence exists to proceed.
Erickson remains in custody. His arraignment is set for June 10, 2026.
