ST. FRANCISVILLE — The WBRZ Investigative Unit questioned a former St. Francisville Police officer charged in connection with a 2022 overdose death as he walked out of jail Monday. 

WBRZ's Bess Casserleigh asked Richard Parsons Jr. if he killed Renee Hinze, a woman who died on March 7, 2022. She also asked if there was anything he'd like to say to her family or in his defense. He declined to answer, staying silent as he got into a vehicle and left. 

Sources previously told the WBRZ Investigative Unit that Parsons was with Hinze days before she died. Her body was found in a bathtub at a St. Francisville hotel, with her death originally being investigated as an accidental overdose. 

Prior to her death, Hinze was allegedly riding around in Parsons' marked police unit, a violation of St. Francisville Police Department policy. Following the incident, Parsons was arrested in August 2025 for malfeasance in office before being formally charged with negligent homicide. 

On Monday, Parsons turned himself in to the West Feliciana Parish Sheriff's Office for negligent homicide and was released on a $150,000 bond. His arraignment is scheduled for May.