Judge sentences man convicted of Mo’s House stabbing to serve 20 years in prison

EVANSVILLE — A Vanderburgh County judge sentenced Zachary Clay Parksey, who admitted to fatally stabbing his close friend inside a popular Haynie's Corner bar, to serve 20 years in prison during a hearing Thursday morning.

Parksey, 29, pleaded guilty in April to one count of voluntary manslaughter, a Level 2 felony, for the killing of 30-year-old Colin McHargue. The plea agreement Parksey struck with prosecutors led to the dismissal of a felony murder charge.

According to Evansville police, Parksey fatally stabbed McHargue in the bathroom of Mo’s House, a bar and cocktail lounge in Evansville's arts district, on Oct. 8. The two men were close friends with ties dating back to middle school.

Prior Coverage: Victim and suspect in fatal Evansville bar stabbing 'seemed like good friends'

The crime left family and friends confounded and grief-stricken.

McHargue's family implored the court to impose a lengthy sentence

Thursday's proceedings began just after 10:25 a.m. with Vanderburgh County Circuit Court Judge David Kiely noting the ”numerous” letters the court received ahead of Parksey's sentencing. Most of the letters urged the court to impose the maximum sentence allowable in cases of voluntary manslaughter: 30 years.

Several witnesses testified on behalf of the state, including Rodger McHargue, Colin's father, who read a prepared statement to the court Thursday morning.

"On Oct. 8, I lost my son and lost my best friend," he said, holding back tears. "Collin was just a normal young man living his life … someone who did not deserve what happened that day."

Collin's mother, Karen McHargue, also delivered impassioned, grief-stricken testimony to the court.

"I spend hours crying for my dead child," she said. "Night after night, I relive the horror of Oct. 8. ... He didn’t deserve what happened to him — to be stabbed by his best friend who left him to die on a dirty bathroom floor.”

Other witnesses who testified Thursday said Parksey had become a malign influence on Collin's life in the weeks and months proceeding the fatal stabbing.

Parksey testified on his own behalf and asked for leniency

Parksey sat next to his attorney, Barry Blackard, throughout the hearing. When it came time for Parksey to testify on his own behalf, he appeared shakey and emotional.

“I’m not a violent person, or even an argumentative one,” Parksey said with a wavering voice. “Collin was my brother, and had been a great friend for more than 15 years.”

Parksey described the crime as a “horrible tragedy.” He claimed his internal state of mind shifted to a darker place in the months leading up to the stabbing.

“The amount of terror I felt in that bathroom is difficult to describe,” Parksey testified Thursday. “I had no idea what was really happening, or why. ... It seemed as though rage was being unleashed on me. … I had zero desire to take part in what happened."

Parksey asked the court to impose a 15-year sentence.

Judge imposes above average, but not maximum, sentence

Prosecutor Joshua Hutcheson asked Kiely to sentence Parksey to serve 30 years in a state prison, as did Collin's family and friends. Kiely noted the minimum sentence recommended in cases of voluntary manslaughter is 10 years, while the average sentence is 17 and-a-half years.

Under Indiana law, voluntary manslaughter occurs when a person knowingly or intentionally kills another human being while acting under sudden heat.

“I believe there is some remorse for what he (Parksey) did,” Kiely said. The judge noted Parksey had bachelor's and masters degrees in chemistry and had no prior criminal record.

“But, the facts of the case are aggravating," Kiely concluded. "You stuck him in the neck. You killed him. That’s behavior that is not understandable."

After noting that alcohol was likely a contributing factor in the incident, Kiely sentenced Parksey to serve 20 years in an Indiana Department of Corrections facility and required Parksey to register as a violent offender.

Parksey will receive 229 days credit for time he served in the Vanderburgh County jail.

Houston can be contacted at houston.harwood@courierpress.com

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Zachary Parksey convicted of Mo’s House stabbing sentenced to 20 years