THE disappearance of 15-year-old Candice Parchment back in April 2010 ended in tragedy when the teen was found murdered in the woods months later.

Her death was featured in the new TV miniseries The Truth in the Diary which aired March 1, 2022, exploring the diary that helped police solve the case.

Candice Parchment lived in Clayton County, Georgia with her mother Caffian Hyatt. 

She attended Forest Park High School and was known to be a good student who got along with everyone. 

"In a lot of ways she reminded me of my daughter," said Assistant District Attorney BJ Dixon, who was featured in the episode. "Not the sort of person who would hurt anyone."

MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE

Candice was known to be very close to her mother, which is why it was strange when she suddenly left home on April 28, 2010.

Despite trying to get a hold of her daughter multiple times, Hyatt couldn’t get in touch with Candice.

At the time, Hyatt told ABC News that she didn’t know why her daughter had left the house that night.

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However, she received two messages from her daughter’s phone stating that she had run away to Tennessee, but Hyatt didn’t believe the teen had sent them.

HORRIFYING DISCOVERY

Months later, in November 2010, bones were discovered under a mattress in a wooded area by “two scavengers”, according to detectives. 

The bones were found near the teen’s home, leading investigators to believe they might have belonged to Candice.

In the episode, detective Ashley Melvin recounted the time he went to Hyatt’s home after the discovery of the bones for a DNA sample.

While getting the DNA from Hyatt, Melvin said he also showed the teen’s mother some clothes that were found alongside the body.

“We showed her the t-shirt and a jacket. Both times she recognized the clothes,” said Melvin. “She said ‘That’s Candice’s shirt and that’s Candice’s jacket, I know because I bought it.’”

The scene didn't hold many clues to point police in the direction of the killer and so the case ran cold.

"It's over a year. It's almost two years. The pain never goes away," Hyatt said.

DARK DIARY ENTRY

The Clayton County Police Department didn't get a break in the case until two years after Candice disappeared when Hyatt found her daughter's diary.

Hyatt was packing her home to move when she stumbled upon her late teenager's diary.

"Her mother still had the hope that she was going to come home," said Melvin. "She kept Candice's things right where they were and then finally got the courage to go through her stuff.

Curious, Hyatt skimmed through the pages and came across something that would give police a break in the case and ultimately lead them to Candice's killers.

It was in this diary that Candice described in detail an attack by two other teenagers, Marshae Hickman and Jermaine Robinson, on the evening of January 5, 2010.

Upon reading the passages, Hyatt rushes to the police station to give Melvin the diary.

"Candice said 'Hey, Detective Melvin, I got something to tell you,'" said Melvin speaking about the discovery.

VIOLENT ATTACK

Melvin described Candice's diary entries as the "bitter truth" of what happened to her before her death.

According to Candice, two teenage boys lured her to a house near her neighborhood and wanted to have intercourse with her.

"I snuck out of my house to go meet with two friends, well, not really friends, but people who I talk to," wrote Candice in her diary. "Both were guys."

Candice wrote that it had been so dark that night that she only use her phone to light her path.

The affidavit charging Hickman with Candice's murder said, "When (Hickman), Robinson, and the victim entered the abandoned house, (Hickman) told Robinson to hit the victim in the head with a rake and choke her, while (Hickman) blocked the door to prevent her escape."

As the events unfolded, Candice's mother noticed she was missing and went searching for her.

Hyatt was able to call her daughter who managed to get her phone out of her pocket to answer.

Hickman and Robinson fled the scene, according to Candice's diary, and she was able to escape – but in her diary, she said she still feared for her life.

THE VICTIM SPEAKS

Following the discovery of the diary, police found Hickman in their database showing he had been arrested for burglary and was being held at the Clayton County Jail.

Robinson had been looked at as a suspect in the murder but had a solid alibi that night, however, police were able to use the attempted sexual assault charge as leverage to get Robinson to speak out against Hickman.

Hickman had lived in Forest Park at the time, attended the same high school as Candice and had some friends in common with her. He also lived right next door to where Candice's body was found.

Robinson testified against Hickman who he claimed told him to choke Parchment or he would kill them both.

Hickman pleaded guilty to the murder of Candice Parchment and in 2013, he was sentenced to life in prison without parole, plus 20 years.

He received a conviction of an additional 50 years in prison for attacking Candice and trying to kill her in January 2010.

Robinson was sentenced to 15 years for the attempted sexual assault on Candice in January 2010.

The jury found him guilty of twelve charges: malice murder, felony murder, false imprisonment, criminal attempted rape, involuntary manslaughter, four counts of aggravated assault, aggravated battery, and concealing a death.

“I’m glad about the verdict,” Hyatt told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“At least the jury saw him for what he was.”

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