A former Illinois death row inmate who once faced the executioner for murder has now been found guilty of a sickening plot to sexually exploit a child. Jeffrey D. Parmly, 60, of Peoria, dug his grave deeper as a federal jury convicted him on November 14 for attempting to entice an 11-year-old girl into sexual activities, as per federal prosecutors.
Parmly, who had his original death sentence commuted to 76 years behind bars before being paroled two short years ago, couldn't shake his dark past—this time, getting caught in a federal sting. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the man's latest offense saw him brazenly try to rendezvous with what he believed was a child, only to be met by the long arm of the law instead.
The jury heard over two days of damning testimony that depicted Parmly's abhorrent attempts at corrupting innocence. The evidence presented left no room for doubt—this was a man once again stepping over society's red lines, perpetrating what we all fear in the online shadows. Parmly, handcuffed and confined to the custody of the U.S. Marshals now faces 10 years to life in prison at his scheduled sentencing on March 13, 2024.
The FBI's Springfield Field Office led the charge against Parmly, serving justice under the banner of Project Safe Childhood. This case, like many wreathed in the horrors of child sexual exploitation, reminds us of the ceaseless predators lurking and the unyielding vigilance of those who stand guard. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Timothy A. Bass and John David Hoelzer represented the government in court, casting light into the darkest corners of human behavior.
A mandatory $5,000 special assessment under the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015 will also hit Parmly's pocketbook, with the added lifelong burden of registering as a sex offender. The community breathes a collective sigh of relief as Project Safe Childhood asserts that the internet shall not be a lawless frontier for those who prey on the vulnerable.
