TOWANDA, PA — A Harrisburg man was convicted of first-degree murder April 23, 2026 by a Bradford County jury after less than 35 minutes of deliberations.
Terry Lynn Parker, 48, of Harrisburg, was also convicted of abuse of corpse and tampering with evidence, both misdemeanors.
The four-day trial included testimony from Parker’s wife and co-conspirator, Ronda Parker, as well as his girlfriend and co-conspirator, Summer Heil.
Testimony revealed the Parkers lured the victim, Michael Pruitt, from North Carolina to Bradford County.
On March 8, 2024, Terry Parker drove from Harrisburg to Ronda Parker’s residence on Sawyer Road in Columbia Crossroads armed with a loaded pistol and brass knuckles.
Around dusk, Terry Parker parked his vehicle in a wooded area, hidden from view of the residence, and approached through the woods.
Parker entered the residence and shot Pruitt in the chest.
Testimony revealed Pruitt attempted to escape down the hallway to the master bedroom, but Terry Parker followed him and fired two more shots into his skull.
Ronda Parker was present in the master bedroom with a two-year-old child in her arms when Terry Parker fired the fatal shots.
Parker removed the victim’s body from the bedroom in a tarp.
Ronda Parker testified she had sex with Terry Parker in the bedroom following the murder, in view of a pool of the victim’s blood.
Parker then put Pruitt’s body in the trunk of his car and drove back to Harrisburg, where he went to work.
On March 10, Terry Parker recruited his girlfriend, Summer Heil, and drove back to Bradford County with the body in the trunk.
Parker and Heil purchased an axe from a Harrisburg Walmart on the return trip.
Terry Parker and Summer Heil dismembered Pruitt’s body with the axe and burned the body parts in a fire outside the residence while Ronda Parker cleaned blood inside the residence.
Ronda Parker pleaded guilty to third-degree murder Jan. 16, 2026 for her role in the murder and awaits sentencing.
Summer Heil pleaded guilty to hindering apprehension in December 2024 and remains incarcerated serving a 14-year sentence.
Judge Evan S. Williams III immediately sentenced Parker to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole following the verdict.
The case was investigated by the Pennsylvania State Police.
Troopers Michael Morariu and Miranda Musick filed the charges.
Anthropologists from Mercyhurst University assisted in the investigation with the collection of Pruitt’s bones.
Heightened courthouse security during the trial was provided by the Bradford County Sheriff’s Office, the Bradford County Special Emergency Response Team, the Towanda Borough Police Department and Bradford County Supervised Bail officers due to Parker’s prior involvement with a prison escape attempt in another state and his suspected affiliation with the Aryan Brotherhood.
Testimony revealed Pruitt had a criminal record and struggled with substance abuse.
In March 2024, Pruitt was in Bradford County attempting to secure employment and reconnect with his children.
He was painting the living room of the residence at the direction of Ronda Parker when Terry Parker entered the home and murdered him.
Terry Parker argued Pruitt was a child molester in an attempt to justify his actions.
Terry Parker testified he was a victim of sexual abuse as a child and that caused him to do what he did.
No evidence was offered that Pruitt touched a child, and interviews with the children following the murder confirmed that fact.
