Qualla: The Murder of Marion Parker

The Murder of Marion Parker: Introduction

Fri, 23 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Unknown author, Public domain. The registrar at Mount Vernon Junior High School would never forgive herself for what happened on December 15, 1927. Mary Holt had released 12-year-old Marion Parker to a well-dressed young man who claimed to be a colleague of Marion's father, Perry, saying Perry had been in an automobile accident. 'I never would have let Marion go but for the apparent sincerity and disarming manner of the man,' Holt later testified. The man knew nothing of Marion's twin sister Marjorie, or he might have taken her instead. Within days, the Los Angeles Times would call what followed 'the most horrible crime of the 1920s,' and it would be considered the most horrific crime in California history.

Image: Unknown author | Public domain

The Murder of Marion Parker: The Fox Writes

Fri, 23 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Unknown author, Public domain. The day after Marion vanished, telegrams began arriving at the Parker home. The first came from Pasadena: 'Do positively nothing till you receive special delivery letter.' It appeared to bear Marion's signature. More messages followed, sent from different locations around Los Ang...

Image: Unknown author | Public domain

The Murder of Marion Parker: The Exchange

Fri, 23 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Unknown author, Public domain. At approximately 8 pm on December 17, Perry Parker drove alone to the meeting point in central Los Angeles. A Chrysler coupe pulled alongside, and a man with a bandana covering his face held Perry at gunpoint with a sawed-off shotgun. Perry could see Marion in the passenger seat,...

Image: Unknown author | Public domain

The Murder of Marion Parker: The Hunt for the Fox

Fri, 23 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit C. E. Wheelock and Co., Public domain. Fingerprints from the getaway car led police to a name: William Edward Hickman, 19 years old, a former bank employee who had worked with Perry Parker. The year before, Perry had filed a complaint against Hickman for stealing and forging checks totaling $400. Now Hickman was using...

Image: C. E. Wheelock and Co. | Public domain

The Murder of Marion Parker: A New Kind of Defense

Fri, 23 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Pacific and Atlantic (Agence photographique). Agence photographique pour le document reproduit (commanditaire) Agence Rol. Agence photographique (commanditaire), Public domain. Hickman became one of the first defendants in California to use what was then a new law allowing a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. He claimed a deity named 'Providence' had told him to commit the crime. The jury did not believe him. He was convicted and sentenced to dea...

Image: Pacific and Atlantic (Agence photographique). Agence photographique pour le document reproduit (commanditaire) Agence Rol. Agence photographique (commanditaire) | Public domain