The red brick, two-story house sits empty at the end of a cul-de-sac in an upscale Irmo neighborhood.

Occasionally, the homeowner, Brett Parker, drops by to pick up something. But Parker and his two children no longer live there.

A few weeks ago, a bunch of police cars roared up Tackeria Court and stayed at the house for a few hours. When the investigators left, the house – where Parker’s wife and a male family friend were shot to death in the middle of the day April 13 – fell silent again.

The house isn’t the only silent thing.

For seven weeks, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department has released little information about the case. No charges have been filed. Nor has the sheriff exonerated Parker, who admitted to shooting his friend.

The department has released only a partial incident report and has withheld copies of the 911 calls.

The lack of information released publicly has led to plenty of speculation. People have questioned the circumstances of the shootings and many, including Parker’s lawyer, are talking about sports gambling.

Sheriff Leon Lott said he has had a team of investigators on the case from the beginning. But they are not on a specified timetable to reach a conclusion.

“They have never slowed down,” Lott said.

But Lott also said it would not be appropriate to comment on secret investigative tactics or to offer up pieces of the story before the inquiry is complete.

“We’ve got to do it right,” he said.

The shooting was reported to the Sheriff’s Department at 12:44 p.m. on Friday, April 13.

The $760,000 home at 12 Tackeria Court stands alone at the end of a cul-de-sac in the upscale Ascot Estates subdivision in northwestern Richland County.

When the first deputy arrived, he found 42-year-old Brett Parker standing unarmed in the driveway. The deputy drew his pistol and ordered Parker onto the ground, where he stayed until backup officers arrived, according to a Sheriff’s Department incident report.

The deputies handcuffed Parker, and the investigation began.

Inside the house, 44-year-old Tammy Jo Parker was dead. So was Bryan C. Capnerhurst, a 46-year-old family friend from Batesburg-Leesville. The bodies were upstairs.

Richland County Coroner Gary Watts reported that both died from multiple gunshot wounds. The Sheriff’s Department has said two large caliber pistols were used.

The Sheriff’s Department first reported the shooting to the public shortly after deputies arrived. A department spokesman said an acquaintance had come to the home and shot the wife. He said the husband, Brett Parker, was able to get to a safe where he kept a gun and shoot his friend before he himself was killed.

The department retracted that story less than an hour after notifying the media. Since then, the sheriff has not said who shot whom – or in what order.

However, Brett Parker’s defense attorney has offered his client’s version of the story, which is similar to the one first reported by the Sheriff’s Department.

Brett Parker and Capnerhurst were meeting to settle a sports bet, Dave Fedor, the attorney, said in early May. Parker owed Capnerhurst money, he said.

Parker went into a bathroom and instructed Capnerhurst to go upstairs. While Parker was in the bathroom, he heard gunshots and ran to see what was happening, Fedor said.

Capnerhurst had shot Tammy Jo Parker and then pointed the gun at her husband, Fedor said.

But Brett Parker was able to get to a loaded gun he kept on top of a safe. He shot Capnerhurst and killed him, Fedor said.

Fedor insisted the shootings weren’t the result of sports betting and that his client acted in self defense. He had no explanation as to why Capnerhurst would shoot Tammy Jo Parker and said he believed his client’s story.

Last week, Fedor declined further comment on the case. He said Brett Parker has not had any recent interviews with investigators.

Friends and family of the two killed in the shooting have little to say about it.

Cindy Capnerhurst would not comment on her husband’s death, according to a woman at her home in rural Lexington County.

Tammy Jo Parker’s parents also did not want to talk about the case.

Her mother, Libby Carswell, said doctors have advised her not to discuss it because she is recovering from cancer treatments. But she said the loss of her daughter has been more painful.

“I’m hurting so bad I’m just about to die,” she said, fighting back tears.

After the shootings, people who knew the three described them in glowing terms.

Brett Parker sold medical supplies for Palmetto Home Medical. He had played baseball at Winthrop and Newberry College. He and his wife had two children.

Tammy Jo Parker sold pharmaceuticals, sang in a band and was an avid Gamecocks fan. Neighbors described her as a friendly person who reached out to others.

Bryan Capnerhurst had played college baseball at Morehead State University in Kentucky. He was assistant athletics director at the Lexington County Recreation and Parks Association, where he managed youth sports leagues. He also was a volunteer firefighter and a parent of two daughters and a son.

Now, the shootings have become the county’s most-talked about mystery. The State newspaper receives multiple emails and phone calls each week from the curious public asking questions about the case.

Perhaps that’s because there is no obvious, logical explanation as to why three people with solid reputations would become involved in a Friday afternoon shootout in an affluent neighborhood.

Rumors have swirled, including accusations that Lott is involved in a cover-up on behalf of Brett Parker. But none have proven to have merit.

“I’ve heard it all,” Lott said.

Meanwhile, the Parker and Capnerhurst families – and the public – will have to wait to find out what happened inside that now-empty house on the cul-de-sac.

“I’d like to know the same thing,” said Carswell, Tammy Jo Parker’s mother. “I’m just waiting.”

Reach Phillips at (803) 771-8307.