MARYVILLE, MO — A criminal case that began in Gentry County ended in a bizarre death following the defendant’s sentencing in Maryville. Steven Parsons, 48, of Stanberry died following a sudden seizure in the Nodaway County Courthouse. Parsons had just received a conviction of second degree statutory sodomy to a teenage girl under 17, a verdict from the Nodaway County Circuit Court. Parsons was found not guilty of another charge of forced sodomy. Law officers say Parsons had purchased 100 grams of cyanide from an out-0f-state vendor, and had it shipped to his business, Parsons Tire and Battery located in Maryville. A medical examiner from Kansas City confirmed that cyanide poisoning killed the man. Apparently, Parsons ingested cyanide at the site of the trial. After he went into convulsions, Parsons was immediately taken to St. Francis Hospital in Maryville and then went into cardiac arrest while being transferred to Heartland Regional Medical Center in St. Joseph where he was pronounced dead. Parsons is a father of two and is survived by many family members.
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