SEYMOUR – A Norman man has pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter, a Level 2 felony, in the death of 58-year-old Lisha ‘Lee’ Ann Branum.
Judge Richard Poynter will sentence Brady Allen Parrish on Thursday, March 28, at 2:00 p.m. in Jackson County Circuit Court.
The sentencing hearing for Brady Allen Parrish, 27, of Norman, is set for 2 p.m. March 28 in Jackson Circuit Court in Brownstown. His trial on the charges of murder and voluntary manslaughter by knowingly or intentionally killing a person by someone acting under sudden heat had been set for Feb. 5.
Brady was arrested on September 20, 2022, 10 months after Branum’s death.
The investigation began on November 10, 2021, after the Sheriff’s Department responded to a 911 call reporting Branum had been found deceased in her home near the 400 block West of County Road 1050 North. Branun died from a gunshot wound to her back. Crime scene technicians from the sheriff’s department and Indiana State Police responded to process the scene.
According to court records, two acquaintances of Parrish told investigators they drove Parrish to Branum’s residence off of State Road 58 in far northern Jackson County and dropped him off along the road. Parrish told the men to return and get him in a few minutes.
One of the men told police he heard two gunshots before they returned to pick Parrish up about a minute or two after dropping him off, according to court records.
Both men also told investigators they did not know Parrish was planning to kill someone when they dropped him off.
The case against Parrish was presented to Jackson County Prosecutor Jeffrey Chalfant at the end of August 2022. After reviewing the case, Prosecutor Chalfant filed a charge of murder, and Jackson Circuit Court Judge Richard W. Poynter issued an arrest warrant for Parrish.
Jackson County Detectives Clint Burcham and J.L. McElfresh traveled to Missouri and worked with the Kansas City Police Department, arresting Parrish on the warrant on August 30, 2022, at 2 p.m.
The extradition process was completed on Friday, September 9, 2022, and Parrish was transported from Missouri to the Jackson County Jail, arriving on Saturday, September 20, 2022.
Lieutenant Adam Nicholson, Detective Sergeant Jesse Hutchinson, and Deputy Mark Holt assisted with the investigation.Â
The extradition process was completed on Sept. 9, and Parrish was transported from Missouri to the Jackson County Jail in Brownstown, where he remains at this time.
