Beverly Parker

Beverly Parker was a joyful and quiet woman, devoted to her church and her job at a life insurance company in Fort Wayne, Indiana. At 47, she lived a modest life with her teenage son, Toriano. Those who knew her, including her pastor, described her as a happy person who largely kept to herself. Born on December 6, 1949, Beverly Eileen Belt Parker had built a seemingly peaceful existence, but beneath the surface, a complex and troubled family dynamic was brewing that would ultimately lead to a tragic and violent end.

On the night of August 23, 1997, while her son was away at an all-night skating party, Beverly was brutally murdered inside her home. The attack was one of extreme rage and overkill. Investigators from the Fort Wayne Police Department believe the assault began in the kitchen, where Beverly was stabbed 25 times with a small knife in a series of quick, shallow cuts. One detective described the initial wounds as being similar to a "prison shanking." Though injured, she was still alive as the struggle moved from the kitchen into the hallway.

The evidence, including bloody footprints, showed the attacker then walked back to the kitchen to retrieve a larger knife. Beverly was stabbed approximately three more times, but even these wounds were not fatal. Her killer returned to the kitchen a third time, this time grabbing a heavy frying pan. They used the pan, which was believed to be Beverly's own, to bludgeon her in the head, delivering the final, fatal blows. The next morning, her son Toriano returned home to the horrific scene, finding his mother's body in a pool of blood in the hallway.

The investigation quickly ruled out robbery, as nothing of value was taken. The personal and hateful nature of the crime led detectives to focus on Beverly's inner circle. They soon uncovered a shocking secret: Beverly had been having an affair with John Grant, the husband of her 28-year-old daughter, Chantel Grant Stacy. Further interviews revealed that Beverly had also allegedly been romantically involved with Chantel's first husband years earlier. Her son Toriano would later describe the relationship between his mother and sister as "very toxic."

John Grant's story changed multiple times during police interviews. He eventually claimed that Chantel had confessed to him that she had fought with her mother and attacked her. According to Grant, he went to Beverly's house, found her injured but alive, and fled because he had outstanding warrants. He claimed that when he told Chantel her mother was still alive, she replied, "I need to go back and finish the job...’cause she’ll talk." Investigators also learned that Chantel had previously written a letter to her godmother detailing how she wanted to kill her mother. When Beverly's pastor offered his condolences, Chantel reportedly told him her mother "got what she deserved."

A potential financial motive also emerged. Beverly had an $80,000 life insurance policy, and witnesses stated that Chantel believed she was the beneficiary, unaware that her mother had removed her from the policy before the murder. During a police walk-through of the crime scene, Chantel also pointed out that the specific frying pan was missing, a detail that had not been publicly disclosed.

Decades passed without an arrest, and the case went cold. In October 2025, the Oxygen network's show *Cold Justice* teamed up with the Fort Wayne Police Department to re-examine the case. Investigators Tonya Rider and Kelly Siegler worked with Detectives Brian Martin and Mark Bieker to re-interview witnesses. When they located John Grant, he was homeless and unable to coherently confirm his original statements. When confronted by investigators, Chantel denied any involvement but expressed continued hostility toward her late mother. As of October 2026, despite the circumstantial evidence, no charges have ever been filed. The murder of Beverly Parker remains officially unsolved.