High on meth, Gulfport woman 'really didn't care' when she saw Tena Broadus' bloodied body

Kari Parker was so numbed out from shooting up methamphetamine that she felt nothing when she saw the beaten body of a woman that her new love interest, Joshua Peterman, had been fighting with earlier.

During Peterman's trial on a first-degree murder charge, Parker said at least 20 times, "I was high."

They were all high, according to Parker and one other witness, at the house on O'Neal Road in Gulfport where Tena Broadus died a slow and brutal death on Sept. 18, 2015.

Parker's account Wednesday morning of Broadus' death varied from the one given Tuesday afternoon by Devin Gregory in the Harrison County Circuit Court trial. Gregory was also at the house getting high with Peterman and Parker the day Broadus died.

Both Parker and Gregory agreed, though, that Peterman was in charge. Peterman, 31, and Broadus, 29, got into a fight when she came over that day, then Peterman and either Parker or Gregory, depending on whose account the jury believes, helped Peterman drag Broadus to the garage.

There, Peterman beat Broadus in the head with a machete handle while Parker or Gregory punched her with fists. Parker said it was Gregory, while Gregory said Parker helped with the beating.

Both said they were getting high all day on meth with Peterman while Broadus was bound to a chair in the garage.

At one point, Parker and Gregory were in the house getting high.

"When we go back out to the garage," Parker said, "she's in a box with a rope around her neck." Peterman was standing in the garage, she said.

"She's dead," Parker said in a flat voice. "She's not moving. She's dead, I was extremely high, so I kind of just really didn't care at that point."

Parker said she met Peterman the day before Broadus died, when her boyfriend dropped her off at Peterman's house.

She had sex with Peterman that night, she said, then they got high after waking up the next day. She said she had never met Broadus or Gregory until that day.

Parker said they took the body to a secluded area off Mississippi 605. Peterman dumped Broadus' body, head-first, into a barrel, poured in some gasoline and set the body on fire.

Peterman, Parker and Gregory went back the next morning to make sure the body was burned, then Peterman threw the bones into the Biloxi River, Parker testified. Law enforcement authorities recovered Broadus' remains after Gregory began cooperating with the investigation.

Parker said she fell for Peterman over the next few weeks, while they stayed at the home of Natasha Sellers, who has pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact in the case.

In exchange for her plea to second-degree murder, Parker said the District Attorney's Office agreed to recommend that she serve 17 years in prison. There are no guarantees the judge will follow the recommendation.

Parker often said during her testimony that she could not remember some details from that day. She did say several times, referring to Broadus: "I never put my hands on her."

Peterman's attorney, Phil Wittmann, told Parker: "It's very convenient that you can't remember things because of drugs but you can remember you didn't do anything."

Peterman has spoken out in court several times, prompting admonishments from Judge Roger Clark. Peterman insisted Wednesday that he should be allowed to question Parker because Wittmann would not ask certain questions.

Clark sent the jury out of the courtroom.

"I have questions I want to ask her," Peterman told the judge. "They (the jury) deserve to hear this. That's not fair. You can't hide these facts." He complained that he was not getting a fair trial, then told the judge, "I'm an emotional wreck right now. I can't sleep. This is a hard situation."

The judge said, "Sir, shut up." Then he warned Peterman another outburst would get him ejected from the courtroom for the rest of the trial.

This story was originally published June 27, 2018 at 1:30 PM.