Ogden man who killed infant son 2 decades ago seeks parole again

SALT LAKE CITY — An Ogden man convicted 21 years ago of killing his 4-month-old son is once again seeking to be released from prison.

But as he did during his first parole hearing in 2016, John Lindsay Austin, 56, says he only has "flash memories" of what happened that day, and believes excessive alcoholism and sleep deprivation were contributing factors.

On Feb. 10, 2001, Austin said he was planning a special meal for his wife that night and watching their son, Isaac, while she was away. But he also admitted by that point in his life he was drinking heavily every day to the point of blacking out, and this day was no different.

His son, Issac, was brutally killed, suffering 16 broken ribs, a detached retina, a lacerated liver and other injuries. Austin, who was originally charged with capital murder, pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of murder, a first-degree felony, thus sparing him a possible death sentence. He was sentenced to a term of five years to life in the Utah State Prison in 2002.

During his parole hearing Tuesday, Austin became emotional as he said he wished his pride wouldn't have gotten in the way of him entering a rehab facility in 2001.

"It would have worked. If I had stayed there for 28 days ... and none of this would have happened. And Issac would still be here," he said.

But his ex-wife and Isaac's mother, Heidi Parkin, contends the killing was premeditated. During Austin's trial in 2001, she said she believed Austin was consumed with jealousy because she adored their son so much. She believes Austin killed their son in a "violent rage of anger."

On Tuesday, Parkin told the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole that her ex-husband has had "countless excuses" over the years, and believes he still has not accepted responsibility for what happened.

"How can someone brutally murder their child and not have a memory of that event?" she asked, while also saying she does not believe the statements Austin made to the board during his last parole hearing.

"I cannot understand how the court system would even give John the possibility of parole," Parkin said. "He continues to place the blame on anything other than himself."

Parkin asked the parole board to evaluate whether Austin has truly taken responsibility for his actions or if he's "just jumping through minimal hoops to get parole."

Austin's sentencing guidelines — which are not binding — suggested that he should have been released from prison 18 months ago. And while the Parkin family knows that Austin may be paroled one day, they believe now is not the time.

"There's never going to be anything that is ever going to mend Heidi, because her little boy was taken away. But I believe John needs to stay in prison more," Judy Parkin, Heidi Parkin's mother, told the board. "Down the road, John can get help and out. But it's too soon. Right now, he needs to really think about what he did and how he did it.

"I just feel like there's gotta be some justice. He needs to really stop and think about what he did," she continued.

Although Austin said there are no excuses for what he did, he believes he has since turned his life around. He told the parole board he has tried to better himself and to understand why he took the actions he did, and will continue to better himself whether he is paroled or not.

"I am driven to be a good person. I do not want to be the person who committed murder," he said.

The full five-member board will now vote on whether to grant parole.

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