Man said he had ‘good intentions’ when he agreed to kill for a price

A Biloxi man accused in murder-for-hire killing of Stone County businessman Timothy “Timmy” Garrison pleaded guilty to capital murder Friday.

Jody Parks, 23, entered the plea in Stone County Circuit Court. He will serve life without parole.

Parks apologized for his part in the death of Garrison.

Capital murder is a murder committed during the commission of a felony crime, this case robbery.

Parks was allegedly recruited to help carry out the Jan. 24, 2015, beating and stabbing death of Garrison by one of Parks’ relatives, Emmett Entrekin, 67, of Saucier.

Also charged in the murder-for-hire case is Garrison’s wife, Evelyn Garrison. She and Entrekin are also held on a capital murder charge in the killing.

Evelyn Garrison allegedly planned for weeks to have her husband killed and recruited Entrekin, one of her childhood friends, to help her.

Evelyn Garrison claimed her husband physically abused her for years.

She called authorities after the killing to report the killing.

Authorities at first thought Garrison had been shot because of his severe injuries, but then later learned he’d had been bludgeoned with a baseball bat and stabbed repeatedly.

Recruiting Parks

Entrekin allegedly ran into Parks at a Gulfport hospital in the weeks leading up the murder and enlisted Parks to carry out the murder in exchanged for a $15,000 payoff. Parks was never paid.

Entrekin justified the per-meditated murder, Stone County Sheriff’s Capt Ray Boggs said, by telling Parks Timmy Garrison had beaten his wife for years, even causing her to have miscarriages in the past.

Timmy Garrison’s family has disputed the abuse allegations.

All three suspects admitted their involvement in the murder early-on in the investigation.

Evelyn Garrison told authorities at one point she even planned to have her husband killed the week before the murder was carried out, but had to put it off after he grandchildren stopped by their home for a visit. She also told investigators, Boggs said. that she wanted the murder to look like a robbery and told Entrekin to steal her husband’s Masonic ring, wallet and cash. She also gave them a time to be at the property, the investigator said.

The initial tip in the case came from Evelyn Garrison’s brother, Boggs said, when he told authorities Entrekin had called about three weeks before the murder to say Timmy Garrison was an “a--hole” who had abused his wife.

Parks apologized

Shorty after his arrest, Parks wrote a letter to the Garrison’s family to apologize for what he had done.

The day of the killing, Entrekin told authorities he drove Parks to and from the Garrison property and stopped at a store to buy a bat and gloves.

Parks said he hit Garrison with a bat and stabbed him once but then stopped because “it didn’t feel right,” Boggs said.

Entrekin and Parks bought clothes for Parks to wear after the murder because he was covered in blood.

Evelyn Garrison and Entrekin remained jailed without bond pending trial.

Entrekin later led authorities to a wooded area where the baseball allegedly used in the killing was found.

Authorities later recovered a .44-caliber Magnum stolen from Garrison’s home. Investigators never found Timmy Garrison’s wallet, a journal that was taken or the knife allegedly used in the murder.

This story was originally published March 10, 2017 at 10:43 AM with the headline "Man said he had ‘good intentions’ when he agreed to kill for a price."