Tryston Erickson faces aggravated murder charges after police said evidence tied him to a bloody Spanish Fork crime scene.

PROVO, Utah — A Utah County judge has ordered Tryston Robert Erickson to stand trial on charges that he shot and killed his mother and stepfather inside their Spanish Fork home in March 2023.

The ruling moves the case toward arraignment after a long delay over Erickson’s competency to stand trial. Prosecutors say Erickson, now 30, killed Jeannie Parker, 50, and Timothy Parker, 58, then fled Utah in Jeannie Parker’s Hyundai Elantra. Fourth District Judge Thomas Low ruled after preliminary hearings in March and May that prosecutors had shown enough evidence for the case to proceed.

Erickson is charged with two counts of aggravated murder, a first-degree felony, along with obstruction of justice, theft, abuse or desecration of a human body, three firearm counts and unlawful possession or use of a financial card. The charges stem from a welfare check on March 14, 2023, after both Parkers failed to report to work. Officers entered the home near 1400 South and 2250 East and found the couple in a basement bedroom, partially covered with blankets. Both had been shot. Police said the home showed signs of violence and an effort to clean the scene before officers arrived.

Charging documents say officers found about two dozen firearms throughout the home, along with bullet casings, bullet holes in walls, drugs, an open safe and blood residue on stairs leading to the basement. Police also said they found clothing in the laundry that appeared to have blood on it. Investigators later wrote that cleanup efforts appeared to have been made in the house. Timothy Parker’s forearm also had been burned after his death, according to court records. The filings do not say who burned him or why.

The case quickly turned toward Erickson because he lived in the house and was missing when police arrived. Jeannie Parker’s car also was gone, and police said Erickson was not allowed to drive it. Detectives checked the locations of phones tied to the family and found that Jeannie Parker’s phone had pinged near Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Authorities in Colorado later found Erickson in Grand County, driving the missing Hyundai. Police said he led officers on a pursuit before he was taken into custody near Kremmling. Officers said they found three guns and bank cards belonging to family members with him. During an interview, Erickson told police he had last seen Jeannie and Timothy Parker on March 13, 2023, when he had dinner with them, according to charging documents. Police said he later admitted taking the car and phone. When investigators asked why he went to Colorado, they said Erickson answered that he knew he was going to jail and wanted “a little fun.” Detectives also searched Erickson’s phone and said they found photographs of the Parkers’ bodies that were taken on March 12, two days before officers discovered them during the welfare check.

Other evidence described in court records placed Erickson near the home during the period investigators believe was important. Neighbors told police they saw Erickson outside the residence on March 12, smoking a cigarette. Jeannie Parker had missed work on March 11 and March 13, and neighbors said she also missed church March 12, which they found unusual. Timothy Parker was last seen leaving work during the afternoon of March 11. Investigators also learned that a message had been sent from Jeannie Parker’s phone to co-workers saying she had found a new job. Co-workers told police the message surprised them because she had not discussed leaving or given notice.

Police also looked at tension inside the home before the killings. Timothy Parker’s co-workers told investigators that he had talked about evicting Erickson from the house. Court filings do not say whether an eviction filing had been completed before the deaths. The alleged conflict is one piece of the prosecution’s broader case, but no motive has been proven in court. Erickson has not been convicted. The charges remain allegations, and he will have the chance to enter a plea at arraignment.

The case stalled in early 2024 when a motion raised questions about Erickson’s competency to stand trial. Competency focuses on whether a defendant can understand the court process and assist in a defense. It does not decide guilt or innocence. After several hearings, Erickson was deemed competent in December 2025. The preliminary hearing process then resumed. Evidence was presented over two hearing dates, including March 18 and May 1, before Low ruled that the case could move forward.

The ruling does not mean a jury has found the facts proven beyond a reasonable doubt. At a preliminary hearing, prosecutors must show probable cause that crimes were committed and that the defendant should stand trial. That standard is lower than the burden prosecutors face at trial. Low’s order means the aggravated murder and related felony counts remain active and will move into the next phase. At arraignment, Erickson is expected to be asked to enter guilty or not guilty pleas.

The Parkers’ deaths began as a missing-person concern among co-workers and ended as a double homicide investigation that crossed state lines in one day. Officers first tried to contact the couple by phone and at the home. After entering through an unlocked window, they found the bodies and a house in disorder. What had looked like a welfare check became a search for the couple’s missing vehicle, missing phone and missing adult son. By that evening, police in Colorado had taken Erickson into custody.

Spanish Fork police and Utah County prosecutors have relied heavily on records they say connect the home, the bodies, the missing car and the Colorado arrest. The evidence described publicly includes phone location data, photographs from Erickson’s phone, statements from neighbors and co-workers, physical evidence inside the home and items recovered after the pursuit. Defense arguments at trial could challenge how that evidence was collected, what it proves and whether the state can tie each charged count to Erickson.

Erickson remains in custody as the case heads to arraignment. The next scheduled court milestone is June 10, when the case is expected to move from the preliminary stage into formal pleas and trial scheduling.

Author note: Last updated June 2, 2026.