Metro

CLEARFIELD — A Morrisdale man will be spending the rest of his life in prison for killing his girlfriend’s husband.

In early May, a jury found Bryan S. Michaelis, 49, guilty of first-degree murder, criminal conspiracy/homicide, aggravated assault, recklessly endangering another person and tampering with evidence for the death of Kodey Lee Parks, 33, Drifting.

He and Danielle Elizabeth Parks, 38, also of Morrisdale, had conspired to kill Kodey Parks in February 2024 at a Morris Township home during a child custody exchange.

On Monday, Judge Paul E. Cherry sentenced Michaelis to state prison for the rest of his life, with no chance of parole, which is the mandatory sentence.

In May, Danielle Parks, who was found guilty of murder, conspiracy, recklessly endangering another person and tampering with evidence after her four-day trial in February, received the same sentence.

Prior to sentencing, a family member addressed the court, saying that Michaelis took Kodey Parks away from her and his children.

“You have a lifetime in jail to plan other murders,” she said, referring to Michaelis as a “mastermind.”

She noted that Danielle Parks still loved Kodey.

“Why didn’t you leave them alone?” she asked.

During the trial, it was stated that Kodey and Danielle Parks’ marriage was on rocky ground, with her filing for divorce prior to the shooting death. Kodey Parks had been charged with strangling her and had violated a protection from abuse order at least twice, according to previous testimony.

Michaelis had been jailed for not paying child support not long after Kodey Parks was released from the county jail for his PFA violation.

On Feb. 23, 2024, Danielle Parks paid Michaelis’ back child support for him and he was released about 5 p.m. They then traveled to Rural King, where she purchased a pistol that Michaelis carried out of the store. It was used as the murder weapon the next day.

After the shooting, Danielle and Michaelis went to another location, where she fired the gun so she would have gunshot residue on her hands. Michaelis also burned his clothes and a blanket. Cameras at this home were inoperable, but another surveillance camera nearby caught the pair’s activities.

Cameras at Danielle’s father’s home, where the shooting occurred, were taken down after the murder, before police arrived, and were unable to provide any information on the activities there.

Danielle returned to the home more than 45 minutes later, when she finally called 911, telling police she shot Kodey Parks.

Later, in a “coded” letter to Danielle, Michaelis wrote that he didn’t regret killing Kodey Parks.

Both Michaelis and Danielle Parks told police that Kodey Parks was the aggressor, and during a struggle, was shot in self-defense.

As District Attorney Ryan Sayers said in his closing arguments at the trial, there was no sign of a struggle in the hallway where they claimed it happened.

“This is not a justified killing. It was an execution,” he said.