GOP Senate candidate Sean Parnell denies all allegations of abuse in second day of custody trial

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Sean Parnell said Monday that he has never physically abused his estranged wife or children.

“We had a tumultuous relationship,” Parnell said. “We fought a lot. We were on again, off again from the time that we met.”

But, he continued, he never struck any of them.

That testimony — repeated over and over during direct examination — came during the second day of the custody trial between Parnell and Laurie Snell, who are each seeking primary custody of their three children, ages 12, 11 and 8.

The couple has been separated since 2018.

The trial, before Senior Judge James Arner, is expected to conclude Tuesday with Parnell still on the stand on direct examination.

On the first day of testimony, on Nov. 1, Snell told the court that Parnell began to exhibit fits of rage within just a few months of their relationship, and that the rage ultimately turned into physical abuse. Among her allegations: that Parnell pulled over on the side of Interstate 79 when she was several months pregnant, ordered her to get out and told her to have an abortion; that he would pin her down by her thighs and scream at her; lock her in rooms and scream at her and that once he choked her to the point that the only thing that stopped him was her biting his arm.

Snell also testified that in early 2018 Parnell had struck one of their children so hard in the back that it left a handprint-shaped welt, and that in late May 2018, he punched a door that then struck one of their children in the face.

But Parnell’s attorney, Kristen Eberle, in a quick volley of questions Monday afternoon, asked her client about each of those incidents.

Had he ever thrown a chair across the room like Snell had alleged?

“Absolutely not,” he answered.

“Did you ever physically abuse your wife?” Eberle asked.

“Never.”

“Did you ever choke your wife?” the attorney continued.

“Never,” he answered.

Did he ever pin her down?

“No, never.”

Parnell denied ever telling Snell to have an abortion and said the day the couple found out she was pregnant for the first time was the greatest day of his life.

“We made our kids together,” Parnell said. “Our kids are the best kids in the world, and we did that together.”

But, he admitted, “It just wasn’t a good relationship.”

Parnell said that Snell lied about him ever striking their children.

Although Parnell denied ever getting physical with Snell, he alleged that she once left him in a Lowe’s parking lot because he refused to use his military discount, and that when she sped off, their car’s side-view mirror struck him. He then had to walk home.

During his 2-1/2 hours of testimony, Parnell denied allegations by Snell’s brother that he witnessed Parnell have an episode of post-traumatic stress disorder as the family drove through the mountains of West Virginia.

Parnell said that never happened. However, he spoke openly about his military service, telling the court that he spent 16 months in combat in Afghanistan, and that his platoon was attacked in 2006 by rocket-propelled grenades and mortars. Parnell said that he and almost every member of the platoon was wounded. He sustained a traumatic brain injury.

Ultimately, Parnell said, he was diagnosed with PTSD, which he said he’s never hidden.

“I think it’s gotten a lot better over time,” he said. “I always felt like it was my responsibility as a soldier and as a leader to be open about it.”

Parnell testified that his PTSD was sometimes triggered by the smell of diesel fuel or going into a crowded place, but he said it’s not a disorder. Instead, he calls it “post-traumatic growth.”

“You can’t see the things I’ve seen and not be changed by them,” he testified. “That experience: I’m a warrior. I’m a protector. It doesn’t affect me negatively. In fact, I think it makes me a better person — a more compassionate person.”

Parnell also denied that he ever lost his temper with his children for spilling Cheerios on the counter, which Snell’s brother also said.

Since the separation, Parnell said he began dating Melanie Rawley, and that the couple has now moved in together, including her two daughters, who are 14 and 10.

“It has been the blessing of a lifetime to watch their relationship grow with one another,” Parnell said.

He spent much of his testimony talking about the children’s schedules when they stay with him, helping them with their homework and participating in their extracurricular activities. He also denied allegations made by Snell that he failed to help the children with their school work during virtual learning because of the covid-19 pandemic.

“I was involved every step of the way, and I had a heckuva lot of fun doing it,” he said.

Parnell testified that he is seeking primary custody because of Snell’s behavior, but that he hopes if he wins the Senate race, that they could return to shared custody.

“I believe Laurie’s anger and resentment toward me have clouded her judgment,” he said.

Earlier Monday, Snell completed her testimony on cross-examination by Eberle, who repeatedly asked whether she thought Parnell was a good father.

“When they’re in public he’s great with the kids,” Snell said, later adding that he’s a good dad “when he’s not angry.”

But, Eberle noted that less than a week after Parnell allegedly struck one of the children with the door, Snell wrote him a message saying that she knew he was a good father.

“I know you are a good dad, and it’s important that the kids see you,” Snell wrote in the June 4, 2018, email.

Snell admitted on cross examination that she never raised either alleged incident where she claimed Parnell struck their children in her petitions related to custody.

“No allegations of abuse?” Eberle asked.

“No,” Snell answered.

On cross-examination, Snell also admitted that she once pinched the upper arm of one of their children to discipline them.

During her testimony, Snell said that when Parnell first said he was contemplating a run for Congress that she told him she’d support him if she could remain in their home until the children finished school and if he paid the mortgage.

“‘I’ll even door knock for you,’” she told him in a message.