After he allegedly shot his wife eight times, Michael Darnell Parson spent three nights in a hotel with a woman he planned to marry in October, according to court documents obtained by the AJC.
And while Adina Broome Parson was clinging to life in an area hospital, her husband continued to lead the double life he hid from family and friends, findings of a search warrant obtained by the AJC show.
Late April 20, Adina Parson, 40, was shot just steps from the Sandy Springs apartment she shared with her husband of less than three years.
To the couple's family and friends, Michael and Adina were happily married and a perfect match for each other. But Michael Parson, 42, was secretly was engaged to a Marine Reservist he had met when the two worked together at a Dunwoody pet store, police have said.
The two were planning an October wedding, the fiancee, Rachel Harner, later told investigators. Michael Parson allegedly told his fiancee that Adina Parson was his aunt, but Harner learned the truth in media reports, according to the search warrant findings.
In the days following the shooting, police executed the warrant at the Norcross hotel, where Michael Parson allegedly spent three nights with his fiancee, and a storage facility, where investigators located a gun.
Receipts show that Michael Parson and Harner purchased pre-paid cell phones and stayed at a Motel 6 on Peachtree Industrial Boulevard while Adina Parson was in intensive care at Grady Memorial Hospital. Through this time, family and friends have said, the husband was visiting Adina Parson at her bedside at the hospital.
"It's almost like he's a a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," Ying Amat, Michael Parson's first wife, told Channel 2 Action News.
Amat shares a son with Michael, and the two had remained close since divorcing. Amat and Adina Parson also were close, she has said.
Michael Parson's mother, Margaret, previously told the AJC her son denied shooting his wife.
"It's not the Michael I raised," Margaret Parson said.
But investigators were suspicious of him since the night of the shooting, when he arrived at the couple's apartment complex, stating that he had been at the Veterans Administration hospital near Decatur when his wife was shot, the search warrant states.
A check of cell phone records placed Michael Parson in the area near his home at the time of the shooting, according to court documents.
A friend of Michael Parson, Deontae Robinson, initially told police that Parson had been dropped him off at a MARTA station after the two hung out just hours before the shooting, the warrant says. But Robinson later admitted to police that Parson had asked him to go to the VA hospital and pretend to be him, which Robinson did.
"(He) did not know about all the lies that M. Parson had been living and felt used by M. Parson," the warrant states.
Six days later, while searching the couple's garage, police found two firearm targets with defects, shell casings and ammunition, as well as drug supplies and marijuana.
"M. Parson appeared to have abandoned his home and pets contained therein, and may be ‘on the run' at this time," the warrant states.
Publicly, police said Michael Parson was not a suspect in his wife's shooting. But privately, investigators were watching his actions closely. It was through his financial transactions that investigators knew Parson was traveling west.
On May 5, one day after warrants were secured for his arrest, Michael Parson was apprehended during a traffic stop in Texas. He was charged with aggravated assault, aggravated battery, making false statements, possession of a firearm while committing a felony and marijuana possession.
After being returned to Georgia, Parson waived a hearing scheduled for June 1. He remains in the Fulton County jail without bond, awaiting a grand jury to hear his case.
Meanwhile, investigators continue to work the case, and last week searched the storage unit where Parson's now former fiancee told police a gun was stored. Police have not indicated whether they believe that is the gun used in the shooting.
Records show Michael Parson entered the storage unit five days before the shooting and the two mornings following, according to police.
Neither Harner nor Robinson has been charged with wrongdoing.
Adina Parson remains at the Shepherd Center, where she is continuing to improve from her injuries, a family friend told the AJC Monday.
"Our family continues to focus fully on Adina’s health and recovery," the family said in an emailed statement. "She is making progress during this rehabilitation period (at the Shepherd Center) and we will remain hopeful and grateful to God that Adina will make a full recovery."
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