Marion Parker

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Marion Parker (1915 - December 17, 1927) was a 12-year-old American child who was murdered and dismembered by William Edward Hickman, who called himself "The Fox." She was the daughter of Perry Parker, who was a prominent banker in Los Angeles, California at that time. This notorious murder has been immortalized in folk songs.

Marion Parker, often misspelled as Marian, was the 12-year-old twin daughter of Perry Parker, a prominent banker in Los Angeles. On December 15, 1927 Marion was abducted from her school by William Edward Hickman, who called himself “The Fox.”

Hickman was able to take Marion from her school by telling the principal that Perry Parker has been seriously injured in an accident and wished to see his daughter.[1]

Hickman then sent letters demanding money for several days. All the communications, were signed with names such as, "Fate", "Death", and "The Fox." Negotiations with the suspect continued until a price was agreed upon and a meeting was set. Mr. Parker placed the ransom money, $1,500 in cash, in a black bag and drove off to meet "The Fox." At the rendezvous, Mr. Parker handed over the money to a young man who was waiting for him in a parked car. When Mr. Parker paid the ransom, he could see his daughter, Marion, sitting in the passenger seat next to the suspect. As soon as the money was exchanged, the suspect drove off with the victim still in the car. At the end of the street, Marion's corpse was dumped onto the pavement. She had been dead for some time. Her legs had been chopped off and her eyes wired open to make it appear as if she was still alive. Her internal organs had been cut out and pieces of her body were later found strewn over the hillsides of Elysian Park. [2]

A massive manhunt for her killer began that involved over 20,000 police officers and American Legion volunteers. Huge cash rewards were offered to anyone who could provide information that led to the identification and capture of "The Fox." Suspicion quickly settled upon a former employee of Mr. Parker named William Edward Hickman. Several years before the abduction, Hickman was arrested on a complaint by Mr. Parker regarding stolen and forged checks. Hickman was convicted and did prison time. Investigators compared his fingerprints with prints found on the ransom note. They matched. Hickman's photo was plastered all over the newspapers and sent to every police department on the west coast. [3]

A week after the murder, two officers who recognized him from the wanted posters, found Hickman in Echo, Oregon. He was conveyed back to Los Angeles where he promptly confessed to another murder he committed during a drug store hold-up. Eventually, Hickman confessed to a dozen armed robberies. "This is going to get interesting before it's over," he told investigators. "Marion and I were good friends," he said, "and we really had a good time when we were together and I really liked her. I'm sorry that she was killed." Hickman told his attorneys that he had killed Marion on the directive of a supernatural being called Providence. Though his attorneys made one of the first insanity pleas on behalf of an accused killer in Califoria, public feeling ran too high to allow fair consideration of the symptoms of schizophrenia that seem to have been exhibited by Hickman. He was convicted of murder and hanged at San Quentin prison in 1928. [4]