Dec 14, 2022; updated Dec 15, 2022
Pennsylvania man charged in 2005 disappearance, killing of 21-year-old Ashley Parlier
A Pennsylvania man has been charged with first-degree murder in the June 2005 disappearance of Ashley Marie Parlier.
Harold David Haulman III, 44, was arraigned in Calhoun County District Court Wednesday afternoon in connection with the disappearance of Parlier, 21, of Battle Creek.
Haulman, who once lived in Battle Creek, became a suspect in the disappearance of Parlier during an investigation in the deaths of two women in eastern Pennsylvania.
Haulman pleaded guilty to both Pennsylvania murders in 2021 and is currently serving life sentences without the possibility parole in those cases. As part of a plea deal with Luzerne County District Attorney's Office, Haulman has agreed cooperate with Calhoun County detectives and is expected to plead guilty to first-degree murder in the death of Parlier in exchange for the state of Pennsylvania not seeking the death penalty.
He also served jail time in reference to a 1999 homicide in Ramstein, Germany.
"We know it means a lot to the family of Ashley Parlier and the friends of Ashley," Calhoun County Prosecutor David Gilbert said of Wednesday's arraignment. "Some people had been suspects for a really, really long time and now they have that weight taken off their shoulders."
Haulman will remain lodged at the Calhoun County Jail throughout the disposition of his case. Attorney Magistrate Amber Straub denied bond in the case Wednesday.
Parlier, who had the mental capabilities of a 14-year-old, was pregnant and had been working at Taco Bell on Capital Avenue Northeast to save money for a car, her family said after her disappearance.
Her father said she left the house June 12, 2005, with $700 in cash and was never seen again.
At the time, police questioned friends and her boyfriend, but never found any evidence connecting Haulman to her disappearance. Battle Creek detectives, who had the case for years, presumed the woman was dead although several searches failed to locate her remains.
The case was transferred to the sheriff department two years ago after detectives concluded that Parlier likely died outside the city of Battle Creek.
Calhoun County Sheriff's Department Detective Jon Pignataro said Haulman, who was described as transient and without a permanent address in Pennsylvania, lived in Battle Creek's Lakeview neighborhood and the Fairfax Addition in Emmett Township between 2005 and 2009. He worked at Meijer on Beckley Road, II Stanley and the former Nottke Bowl on Columbia Avenue.
Detectives were contacted by Pennsylvania law enforcement in 2021 after Haulman provided them with details regarding Parlier's disappearance and the possible location of her body in the north section of Newton Township.
Haulman had told detectives he met Parlier and her parents at the bowling alley, according to court papers, and that he talked with Parlier. Then she went to his home after calling and telling him her parents wanted her to take a pregnancy test.
Haulman also said that he was the father of Parlier's child.
Parlier was killed in woods south of Battle Creek in Newton Township, Haulman told detectives. He said he argued with Parlier and killed her by hitting her several times with a piece of wood on the evening of June 13, 2005.
Haulman said he returned to the scene several weeks or months later and only found bones, according to court papers.
Officers have searched for her body and brought Haulman to the area in late June 2021 but he was unable to direct detectives to the place he said he killed Parlier. Detectives have said they will continue their search for information about the location of her remains.
"We have every intention of bringing Ashley Parlier home if we have the opportunity to," Calhoun County Sheriff's Department Detective Dave Homminga said Wednesday.
Haulman is currently serving life sentences for two additional murders. One occurred on approximately June 13, 2018, in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, and the second occurred on December 4, 2020, in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.
While detectives expect Haulman to abide by the terms of the plea agreement, Gilbert acknowledged "it's all in the defendant's hands at this point," and he could back out of the deal.
"(It's) a little more difficult without a body, but in this case I believe we have sufficient evidence to take this case to trial and get a conviction," Gilbert said.
Detectives acknowledge the investigation could not have gotten to this point without the assistance of the Battle Creek Police Department, Michigan State Police, FBI, Pennsylvania State Police and Luzerne County District Attorney’s Office, among other agencies.
"We really took a real strong sense of ownership on this case, a great sense of teamwork and we really tried to stay as much in contact with the family as possible," Pignataro said. "It’s just been a very, very long road. We’re really excited and very proud that we got to this point."
"Whenever you’re talking about a family that’s lost somebody who’s missing, you don’t know what’s happened to them. You don’t know if they’re alive or dead," Gilbert added. "There’s more closure when we have the body, but there’s a form of closure knowing what happened. Up until this point, no one knew what happened. That’s very important to the family."
Haulman is scheduled to appear for a pre-exam conference in Calhoun County District Court Dec. 22. A preliminary examination is scheduled for Dec. 29.
