The Murder of Catherine Carroll
For this episode, I watched an episode of Impact of Murder. It’s season 2 episode 3, titled ‘The Betrayal.’
A 45-year-old mother is found dead in her bathroom.
Background
Catherine Carroll had a very hard life. She had gotten a divorce by the time her son Gregory was just 5-6 years old. She had mental health issues, and dealt with an addiction to drugs and alcohol.
Catherine Carroll
Catherine’s Struggles
The main talking head of this episode is Greg Parsons, Catherine’s son. Greg said he would often find his mom intoxicated, and would have to rush her to the hospital.
There were times when Greg had to be removed from the house, due to Catherine’s addictions. Greg said that there was physical abuse, and he often didn’t have regular meals.
Greg got a job at a very young age. He also got to know the neighbors, and would often hangout with the three boys who lived next door. He also met a girl named Tina, who would later become his wife.
At 19 years old, Greg moved out of his mother’s home on James Place in Newfoundland, and lived in an apartment about 5 minutes away.
The 911 Call
On December 31, 1990, Greg and Tina stayed in for New Year’s Eve, to babysit her younger brother.
Around midnight, Greg called his mom to wish her a happy new year. This would be the last time he spoke to her. They had been fighting just a few days earlier, but Greg said he didn’t want her to feel alone.
At 3am, Tina’s dad gave Greg a ride home, and he slept in until about 1pm that day. Greg tried to contact Catherine, but there was no answer. Greg said he was worried, but thought she had maybe gone to a friend’s house.
On January 2, Greg still couldn’t a hold of his mom. He and Tina drove over to the house to check on her. Greg went inside, and immediately ran out. He called 911, and said that his mom was dead on the bathroom floor, and that there was blood everywhere.
The Crime Scene
The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary arrived, and went inside the home.
Catherine was found in her upstairs bathroom. The scene appeared to be frenzied, and that a lot of anger had gone into it. Catherine had been stabbed and slashed a total of 53 times, by a knife that had been taken from the home.
In the bathroom, the police realized that the killer had showered after killing Catherine. A new bar of soap had been opened, and the blood found on the floor was mixed with water. The police also found a bloody towel in the washing machine of the home.
There was no forced entry, and Catherine hadn’t been sexually assaulted.
Tunnel Vision
The police questioned those closest to Catherine. Many witnesses, including several neighbors, said that Catherine was afraid of Greg. Catherine had apparently talked about changing the locks on her doors.
The medical examiner revealed that Catherine died sometime around 3-5am. Greg had been home at his apartment, alone, by that point, and had no one to corroborate his alibi.
Many of the investigators believed Greg didn’t show much emotion, and that he seemed withdrawn. It became worse for Greg, when the police talked to his friend Brian Doyle. Brian gave the police a tape of a song that they performed titled ‘Kill Your Parents.’
On January 10, 1991, the police went to Tina’s home. They told Tina that Greg was being arrested, and that she was to come down to the police headquarters.
Greg’s Timeline
Greg told the police that he was with Tina on New Year’s Eve. He called his mom, and wished her a happy new year. He stayed at Tina’s until about 3am, and slept in the next day until 1pm.
On January 2, Greg knew something was wrong. He hadn’t been able to get a hold of Catherine for two days. He and Tina went over to Catherine’s to check on her.
Greg said he could hear the family dog going ballistic. He tried getting in through the front and back doors, but they were locked. He then lifted up a window, and crawled in.
Greg walked upstairs, and that’s when he found his mom. Greg and Tina believed that Catherine took her own life, as she had tried to do in the past. They said murder was the furthest thing from their minds.
On January 11, 1991, Greg was taken into lockup.
The Trial
On September 23, 1993, Greg went on trial for the murder of his mother.
The case was circumstantial. The physical evidence from the scene had been tested for Greg’s DNA, but it came back as inconclusive.
The judge also ruled that statements from 53 witnesses, about Greg and Catherine’s relationship were admissible in court.
The song ‘Kill Your Parents’ was played in court many times for the jury. Tina said that Greg hadn’t been the only one to write that song. All the Doyle brothers had been involved, and she even helped write it as well.
On February 15, 1994, Greg was found guilty of murder. He said he knew it was a guilty verdict, as soon as he saw the looks on the jury’s faces. He was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole after 15 years.
Greg’s lawyers immediately filed an appeal. Greg was released on bail after 6 weeks in jail.
Greg Parsons in his teenage years
Some Good News
Greg and Tina got married in June 1994. Tina was two months pregnant with their son Zachary.
Greg and Tina did everything they could to try to determine who could have possible killed Catherine. Meanwhile, Greg’s appeal made its way through the courts.
On December 3, 1996, the Court of Appeals overturned Greg’s conviction. A new trial was ordered.
The conviction was overturned because of three factors: hearsay evidence, the tape and because of a comment made. The comment was “if Greg Parsons didn’t kill his mother, who did?”
By the point, DNA technology had also advanced. Catherine’s fingernail scrapings had been saved, as well as the bloody towel that had been found in the wash.
In January 1998, Greg’s lawyer called him, and told him to come down to his office. He eventually revealed that Greg’s DNA was not a match to the two samples that the real killer had left behind.
A New Suspect
In May 2000, the police re-investigated the case. They had several tips, but nothing panned out. That was until December 2000, when the tipster told them to look into Brian Doyle.
Brian Doyle had been living in Ontario by then, and had been involved in criminal activity, such as drug trafficking and theft.
The police decided to do what’s called a ‘Mr. Big Operation.’ An undercover agent befriended Brian, hoping to get information. They rented a hotel suite, and hidden cameras were used to film the “meeting.”
The undercover agent asked Brian when he last spoke to Greg Parsons. Brian said in 1992. He denied being involved in Catherine’s murder, until the agent told him that if he wasn't going to reveal any information, he could leave.
Brian then got up off the couch, locked the door, and admitted that he was in another dimension that night. He said he had been at a party, and had beer, LSD and weed in his system.
He said he broke into Catherine’s home, went upstairs, took his clothes off, and climbed into her bed. That’s when Catherine woke up, and freaked out. She ran to the bathroom, but Brian followed her, and attacked her with a knife.
Brian told the agent that he was thinking about sex, but that Catherine was suffering from drug addiction and alcoholism. He said that Catherine would’ve rotted if he hadn't done it, and that Greg would have been tasked with tending to her.
The agent then asked Brian why he really killed Catherine. He replied,“love for a good friend.”
On June 8, 2001, Brian Doyle was arrested, and charged with murder.
Closure For Catherine and Greg
Greg and Tina were both shocked. Greg hadn’t thought that any of his friends were involved, or were capable of killing anyone. Brian had even attended the wedding, and signed the guest book.
On November 12, 2002, Brian’s trial began. It was clear that Brian was obviously the killer. His DNA was a match to the samples that were found.
In February 2003, Brian was convicted of second degree murder. He was sentenced to life, with the chance of parole after 18 years.
In April 2020, he was granted six months of day parole, and had to report back to jail each night. It was eventually revoked when he started a relationship with a woman. He would go to her home, without telling his parole supervisor.
Brian Doyle at trial
Greg Parsons in a more recent photo
FINAL THOUGHTS
I can’t even imagine how Greg, Tina, and their sons feel about Brian having a chance to be released for good. Greg said he would be shocked, but that letting Brian out would be a mistake.
Catherine seemed to have her issues, but she didn’t deserve to be murdered by a monster. Sure, Brian was high and drunk, but he still killed Catherine in a brutal way. He then helped the police put Greg in prison, and never showed remorse when he admitted to actually being the one who did it. I agree with Greg, it would be a mistake letting Brian out on parole.
Sources
https://thecinemaholic.com/catherine-carrolls-murder/
https://www.saltwire.com/nova-scotia/news/catherine-carrolls-murderer-gets-day-parole-434519/
