A former soldier has been found guilty on two counts of murder for shooting two Hispanic men in their yard in July 2010.
A Richland County jury deliberated the case for more than two days after a week-long trial.
Prosecutors said Parvin shot and killed Edgar Lopez, a Guatemalan immigrant, and Pablo Gutierrez-Guzman, Mexican immigrant, after he paid Lopez $200 for sex and Lopez backed out of the arrangement.
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Parvin told the jury that he shot the men in self defense. He said he had stopped by the house to ask if the men knew where he could find scrap metal and that he bought beer to curry favor with them. Parvin said he grew concerned about the men’s behavior and then they tried to prevent him from leaving.
After the shooting, Parvin shaved his head, destroyed his .45-caliber pistol and fled to Louisiana where he had the family’s green Kia minivan destroyed, according to testimony.
Parvin retired from Fort Jackson in 2009 after serving 20 years in the Army. He was a chaplain’s assistant who spent several years with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment at Fort Bragg, N.C. He was a decorated veteran who served in the Operation Desert Storm and three tours in Afghanistan.
Parvin’s wife, three sons and father sat in the front row throughout the trial.
Reach Phillips at (803) 771-8307.
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