I’ve written about the Erica Parsons case many times before. To recap, Erica Parsons was an adopted child from Rowan County, North Carolina, who was reported missing in 2013. She hadn’t been seen since 2011. Her adoptive parents, Sandy and Casey Parsons, initially claimed she had gone to live with a grandmother figure they called Nan. Erica’s remains were eventually found in South Carolina. Sandy Parsons was charged with her murder while Casey Parsons pleaded guilty to federal charges for fraudulently collecting Erica’s disability benefits after her death. Sandy Parsons went to trial for Erica’s murder in 2017 and was convicted. At the time of sentencing, the prosecution was undecided on whether or not to seek the death penalty.

Now, prosecutors have announced they will seek the death penalty for Sandy Parsons. A sentencing hearing is expected to begin in October.

I’ve gone back and forth on the death penalty in my years of covering true crime. For the most part, I’m against it due to the risk of executing innocent people, the cost of death row vs. life imprisonment, and the fact that some killers actually want to die. However, in cases like Sandy Parsons, where the victim was a child who was completely at the mercy of her killers, I have no objection to the death penalty being sought.