ST. FRANCISVILLE - A former St. Francisville Police officer was formally charged in connection with a 2022 overdose death. 

Sources told the WBRZ Investigative Unit that Richard Parsons Jr. was with Renee Hinze days before she died on March 7, 2022. Her body was found in a bathtub at a St. Francisville hotel. 

Sources say Hinze's death was originally investigated as an accidental overdose on her own medication, but new evidence came to light the second time her toxicology results were analyzed. 

One or two days before her death, Hinze was allegedly riding around in Parsons' marked police unit, which is a violation of St. Francisville Police Department policy.

He was arrested and booked into jail for malfeasance in office in August 2025. Through further investigation, Parsons was formally charged with negligent homicide in Hinze's death. 

According to Parsons' employment history, he resigned from St. Francisville PD shortly before he was arrested and was hired at the Slaughter Police Department. He worked there until he was fired in 2024, following an arrest for domestic violence. 

Documents obtained by the WBRZ Investigative Unit show Parsons was arrested in Brusly on April 13, 2024  for false imprisonment when the offender is armed with a dangerous weapon and domestic abuse battery.