Life in prison for Vineland NJ man who killed, dismembered woman
BRIDGETON — The man who murdered Tonya Cook inside his home and then attempted to destroy and hide her remains is sentenced to spend the rest of his life in the state prison system, according to the Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office.
Cook's remains were found on July 2, 2018 in the Cedarville section of Lawrence Township.
A county Superior Court jury convicted Vineland resident Dennis K. Parrish on August 1 of six offenses, led by first-degree murder. He also was found guilty of two counts of desecration of human remains, hindering, obstruction of justice, and tampering with evidence.
The victim was also a Vineland resident.
Also: Prosecution wants life term for man charged in dismemberment murder
On Oct. 4, Judge George H. Gangloff sentenced the 57-year-old defendant to life in prison on the murder charge. As a condition of that sentence, Parrish will not be eligible for parole consideration until he has served at least 63 years, nine months, and three days.
Gangloff gave Parrish another 10 years for the first count of desecration of remains, with a condition that that time only start after his life sentence is complete.
Additionally, Parrish was sentenced to serve 10 years on the second desecration count. That term will be served at the same time as the other prison terms, however.
The remaining convictions for hindering, obstruction, and tampering were merged with the other convictions for the purpose of sentencing, according to the Prosecutor’s Office.
Investigators initially linked Parrish to his victim through a partially burnt cardboard box found where Cook’s body had been dumped. An affidavit filed at that time stated a sticker on the box indicated the container had been delivered to Parrish's residence on the 800 block of West Arbor Avenue.
An affidavit from his arrest complaint states Parrish admitted torturing the woman. Her body was dismembered at the house, then taken to a farm field and burned, according to testimony.
Prosecutor’s Office Trials Chief Lesley Snock and First Assistant Prosecutor Harold B. Shapiro represented the state in the case.
Public Defenders Alexander Varghese and Nathan R. Perry represented Parrish.
Earlier: Reward offered in case of burned, dismembered woman
More: Police: Man tortured, killed woman before dismembering her
Joe Smith is a N.E. Philly native transplanted to South Jersey more than 30 years ago, keeping an eye now on government in South Jersey. He is a former editor and current senior staff writer for The Daily Journal in Vineland, Courier-Post in Cherry Hill, and the Burlington County Times.
Have a tip? Reach out at jsmith@thedailyjournal.com. Help support local journalism with a subscription.
This article originally appeared on Vineland Daily Journal: Vineland NJ man sentenced to life for murder of Tonya Cook
