Jury continues deliberations in kidnapping, assault trial

The defendant admits
knocking his former girlfriend unconscious.

By ED RUNYAN

VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF

WARREN — The jury went home for the day Thursday, after deliberating about 90 minutes in the kidnapping and felonious assault trial of Danny Parker of West Market Street, accused of wearing a “Friday the 13th”-type goalie mask while terrorizing a former girlfriend.

Danny B. Parker II, 20, took the witness stand Thursday on the fourth day of his trial in the Trumbull County Common Pleas courtroom of Judge Andrew Logan.

Parker admitted that when former girlfriend Lacy Wood came into the house near Penn Avenue where he lived on Feb. 4 — and began fighting with Ashley Sechler, who was his current girlfriend at the time — he did punch Wood in the cheek and knocked her unconscious.

This happened “as a reflex” to Wood kicking him in the groin area, he said.

Parker said he also tied Wood up at that point because he feared she would become agitated when she regained consciousness.

When another man in the home, Norman Morgan, tied up her legs and started dragging her down the stairs, Parker helped carry her the rest of the way — because her head was hitting the stairs, he said.

Parker also admits helping Sechler tie Wood with an orange extension cord and tying her to a pole in the basement.

Denying other accusations

Parker denied doing any of the other things Wood and Sechler accuse him of doing, which led to the felony charges.

Sechler testified earlier in the week that Parker had donned a goalie mask — like the one worn in the “Friday the 13th” movies — and held an electrical circular saw near Wood’s neck and leg, while Wood was unconscious.

Wood also testified that while she was in and out of consciousness, she heard Parker threaten her: “Do you want to die?”

Parker contends that he didn’t do anything more to Wood after he helped tie her up, and that he asked Morgan and Sechler later why Wood was bleeding. The only he response he got was “giggling” from Sechler, he testified.

Morgan awaits a trial of his own Aug. 27. He faces the same charges as Parker.

Jury deliberations resume today. Parker is in the county jail.

Chuck Morrow, an assistant county prosecutor, said in closing arguments that Wood received injuries to her face in the basement that were severe enough to leave scars — and that Parker’s role in them warrants a conviction on felonious assault. Carrying Wood to the basement with the intent to terrorize her qualifies as kidnapping, he said.

Didn’t go for help

If convicted on the charges, he could be sentenced to five to 18 years in prison.

Morrow told the jury of seven women and five men Parker could have gone for help for Wood at many different points after knocking her unconscious, but didn’t.

Referring to Parker’s statement that he still loves Wood, Morrow said: “The love of his life is tied up in the basement and he’s not doing anything about it? It’s because he’s guilty.”

Morrow added that the two girls told essentially the same story about Parker threatening Wood, even though they never had a chance to talk to each other after the incident to fabricate their testimony.

Sarah Kovoor, Parker’s attorney, however, said Wood is not believable and Sechler was in no position near the top of the basement stairs to see what was happening below. She said that Wood was released from a hospital the same night of the encounter and that her injuries did not qualify as serious enough for felonious assault.

runyan@vindy.com