Charged

On January 23rd, 2018, James was charged with attempted murder and with two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct against a minor. But even all of these charges were not sufficient for the blasphemous crime he had committed. 

Enraged Mother

When the fourteen-year-old child’s mother was notified of her daughter’s relationship, she was taken aback. The victim of the assault and her family did not attend the court but her mother did send a letter to tell the people what their daughter had been through. 

The Letter

Kent County Assistant Prosecutor Monica M. Janiskee read the letter sent by the child’s mother. “She went from having lots of friends to no friends,” Janiskee read. “Somehow James managed to manipulate her to where he was the only one she trusted, which resulted in total isolation from activities and friends and an inappropriate relationship with him.’” 

Regretful

The teen’s mother actually felt guilty for not being able to take care of her daughter. “He robbed our daughter of her innocence and childhood and it’s something she’ll never get back. He even went as far as buying her a ring and told her he was going to leave his wife so they could be together. All the things he did was mind numbing”, read the letter. 

The Trial

During the trial, James’ lawyers left no tables unturned to save their client. The lawyer tried to blame James’ untreated mental illness for the heinous crime that he had committed. And they hoped blindly that the Judge would buy this reason. 

Paul Sullivan

Kent County Circuit Court Judge Paul Sullivan obviously did not buy the excuse. He said clearly, “It’s pretty clear to me that you did want her to die…You expected her to die, you were wondering why it was taking so long to die.”