Monday, April 20 brought new, disturbing revelations in the case of Nick Parisot‘s death, as more records from the investigation into John ‘Tully’ Knight‘s involvement were unsealed and released.

The records were unsealed as part of the settlement between the Parisot and Knight families following Tully’s admission of responsibility in Nick’s death in a court hearing on Friday, April 17. The Parisots had filed a civil lawsuit against the Knight family in 2009, but it was formally withdrawn following the hearing on Friday.

The records, now posted to the “Stand Up for Nick” website, include photographs of the crime scene and evidence gathered following Nick’s death on June 13, 2008.

On that day, 13-year-old Nick was riding his motor bike on the trails he knew well in the woods behind his home, when he struck a rope someone had tied across the path. The medical examiner determined that Nick died as a result of the injuries and neck trauma he sustained. He was just two weeks shy of turning 14. In the years immediately following Nick’s death, police identified one or more individuals as potential suspects but were hampered from making any arrests without eyewitness accounts. They made several public appeals for anyone with information in the case to come forward.

Now, with the release of the records, the thorough extent of police work by Wilton detectives and their counterparts in California (where the Knights had moved in 2010) has been revealed publicly. Yesterday GOOD Morning Wilton published the Statement of Probable Cause, which permitted police to obtain a warrant to search the Knights’ California residence following Tully’s arrest. Among the other documents now posted on the site include the warrant issued on Aug. 23. 2012 by the CT State Superior Court Juvenile Division for the arrest of Tully Knight. That 14-page document reveals many previously-unknown details, including:

  • A witness who reported multiple “booby-traps” had been placed on the trails where Wilton children would often ride their bikes in the time period preceding June 13, 2008;
  • The extent of knowledge and involvement of another Wilton youth, Sam Bell; included among the revelations is an account from Bell who told police that Tully had previously placed rocks on the bike path to block it;
  • That, during a walk into the woods near the crime scene with police, Tully identified a feather stuck quill-down into the ground as a marker placed by Bell days earlier; but that the feather had actually just been placed into the ground by a police officer only a few moments prior without Tully seeing;
  • Contradictory and changing statements from Tully Knight and his parents, and witness statements that contradict information Tully initially told police;
  • Statements to police made by several teens in Wilton and in California, confirming that Tully had told them of his involvement in the events that caused Nick Parisot’s death.
  • Reports from witnesses about Tully Knight’s drug use.

Following the issuance of the warrant, Wilton’s Detective Christopher Isidro flew to California in Aug. 2012 and arrested Tully Knight in connection with Nick’s death. He was charged with second degree manslaughter and extradited to Connecticut. At the time police and media continued to withhold Knight’s name because he was still a juvenile. Only 11-years-old when Nick was killed in 2008, Knight is now 18.

Another document posted to the Stand Up for Nick website is the ‘Plea and Disposition‘ from the state’s criminal case against Tully Knight.

According to that file, on Aug. 27, 2013 Tully’s charge was reduced to criminally negligent homicide, and he entered an Alford Plea, where a defendant can plead guilty and also maintain his innocence–acknowledging that there is likely enough evidence to establish guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

At that same time, his attorney, John Gulash,  filed a motion to allow Tully to move to North Carolina with his parents; that motion was granted. The conditions for the move included Tully’s cooperation with an evaluation, no Internet use except for school, contacting probation if he travelled back to CT, and no contact with the Parisots.

On Oct. 29, 2013, Tully Knight was sentenced:  he received 18-months suspended sentence, with three years probation. In addition, among other things he would have to:

  • Serve 100 hours of community service for each of the three years on probation;
  • Submit to bi-weekly urinalysis;
  • Have no contact with the victim’s family;
  • Have his name and address released to the victim’s family;
  • Attend individual counseling therapy;
  • Attend Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) groups for the duration of probation;
  • Abide by a zero-tolerance policy;
  • Notify the CT probation officer within 24-hours of any violation;
  • Meet bi-weekly with North Carolina probation officers.