Sheri Lynn Parker was a 56-year-old female resident of Lake Ozark, Missouri, who managed the Riverview RV Park and Campground alongside her husband, James 'Jim' Hagerty Parker. Originally from Fairborn, Ohio, Sheri was known for her work as a home health provider and her employment at a local Hy-Vee, while she and her husband oversaw the daily operations of the RV park situated along the Osage Beach River.
The couple, married since 2009, lived on-site in the manager's quarters.
In the early hours of November 8, 2017, the quiet atmosphere of the campground was shattered when authorities were called to the scene following reports of gunfire. Upon arrival, law enforcement officers discovered the lifeless bodies of Sheri and Jim Parker in their bed within the living quarters of the park’s office. Both had sustained fatal gunshot wounds. The initial investigation revealed signs of forced entry into the residence, and another couple staying at the park reported that shots had been fired into their recreational vehicle around midnight, wounding one man.
Detectives quickly focused their attention on a former tenant named Gary Sweet, a 58-year-old man who had recently been evicted from the Riverview RV Park. According to investigators, Sweet had been involved in a verbal altercation with James Parker prior to his eviction in October 2017. Evidence collected at the scene, including 16-gauge shotgun shells that matched ammunition found at Sweet's residence, linked him to the double homicide. Additionally, a vehicle matching Sweet’s truck was observed on surveillance footage at the campground, and cell phone data placed him in the vicinity at the time of the murders.
Gary Sweet was arrested and charged in connection with the rampage. Prosecutors alleged that he returned to the campground seeking retaliation for his eviction. In March 2019, Sweet appeared in Miller County Circuit Court where he pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of assault. He was subsequently sentenced to two consecutive life terms in prison for the killings of Sheri and Jim Parker, ensuring he would remain incarcerated for the remainder of his life.
