In proceedings today, April 17, at Stamford Superior Court, John Tully Knight, 18, admitted ‘his conduct’ was responsible for the death of Nicholas Parisot.
As part of a civil deal reached by Nicholas’ parents, Ricardo Parisot and Katherine Throckmorton, and Knight and his parents, Knight admitted he caused Nicholas’s death.
“Yes, I admit my conduct was responsible for the death of Nicholas Parisot,” he said during a brief statement.
Additionally, the terms of the deal allow certain aspects of the juvenile criminal case against Knight to be made public.
Knight, who had his hair tied back in a bun and spoke at a near-whisper during today’s proceedings, was 11-years old when, in 2008, he tied a rope across a dirtbike path frequently used by Nicholas, who had been given legal permission to ride in the area.
Nicholas struck the rope while riding on the path on June 13, and subsequently died from his injuries. During proceedings it was noted the rope was placed just after a blind corner, rendering a “sudden and unavoidable” trap for any dirtbike rider who came across the path that day.
In a short, but emotional statement, Ricardo Parisot said he believes the juvenile criminal justice system had failed to properly punish Knight.
Calling his son’s death the result of a “pre-meditated, deliberate and malicious homicide,” Parisot said the juvenile criminal court’s decision to “excuse” Knight was “obtuse, disgraceful, and an insult.”
He further alleged the attack was an attempt to recreate horror movies and videos provided for Knight’s “childhood entertainment” by his parents.
Neither Knight nor his parents, Glenn and Barbara Knight, made any additional statements today.
Civil complaint
The court proceedings today stem from a civil suit Parisot and Throckmorton filed in 2009 against Tully Knight and his parents.
The civil complaint alleged that “On June 11, 2008, defendant Tully Knight took a rope from his house and, accompanied by another youth, used the rope to create a dangerous trap on the trail in the area of the woods to the rear of his family’s property by stringing the rope across the trail at bike level and tying the rope to two trees situated on each side of the trail, thus creating a sudden and unavoidable blockage to motorbike passage on the trail.”
When no one rode through, the complaint says, Knight took the rope down and brought it back home, only to recreate the trap on June 13. That afternoon, Nick rode along the trail and struck the rope. He was fatally injured.
The suit claimed Nick’s collision caused the rope to break and Knight picked up the broken end and took it away.
Nick’s death, they alleged, was caused by the negligence of Tully Knight.
It was also caused, they said, by his parents in that they knew or should have known their son was placing dangerous traps on the trail and they failed to properly supervise his activities.
The Knights sold their house on Hickory Hill Road and moved to Placentia, Calif. in the spring of 2010. In November of that year, an application to convene a grand jury to review evidence in Nick’s death was denied by a panel of three judges in the chief state’s attorney’s office.
Police continued to pursue the case and in August 2012, a 17-year-old former Wilton resident, who was not named because of his age, was arrested in Placentia and charged with second-degree manslaughter.
This story was updated at 4:49 p.m. on April 17.