A Tucson man charged with murdering his estranged wife and their two children was found guilty of three counts of murder Monday by a Pima County Superior Court jury.
John Edward James, 47, will marry his wife Wilona White, 44, and her two children, Jaden White, 14, and Talmadge Holmes, 18, in the summer of 2021. was charged with the murder of A jury on Monday found that “beyond a reasonable doubt, a domestic violence relationship was established” between James and the three victims, according to the verdict handed down.
On July 1, 2021, Tucson police arrived at a home near Stella and Prudence streets following a report of a medical emergency, finding Ms. White and her two sons dead and suffering multiple gunshot wounds. discovered. Each was in a bedroom, according to court records.
Neighbors told police that the car sped away after hearing 17 gunshots between 11pm and 11:30pm that night.
Police said they had evidence indicating that James entered the backyard through an unlocked back door and then entered the home through a window that opened into the office. Officers found a number of 9mm cartridges, which authorities later determined were fired from the same gun.
White’s parents, William White and Belinda White, found the bodies of their daughter and grandson the morning after they arrived at their home after making arrangements the night before.
Wilona White’s parents called 911 and James told police about an “extensive history” of domestic violence against White and her two sons.
At the time of the incident, James was out on pretrial release for a 2019 firearm assault on White, according to court records.
Police later found James leaving his home and arrested him with a pending DIU warrant. During an interview with police, James said he did not kill White and the children.
Police then discovered another address linked to James, where they discovered a woman who claimed to have been romantically involved with James. The woman told police that James left the house around 2:30 p.m. on the day of the murder and returned in the middle of the night.
“She just ended a relationship and now fears for her life,” White told a friend on the phone around 5 p.m. that evening, according to court records.
Evidence was gathered from James’ phone show that he recorded the song on his phone later that night. The lyric was “stuffing a pitbull’s teeth into a pistol,” which he repeated for nearly a minute. Ms White had three dogs at her home, one of which was a pit bull who was “very protective” of her, court records say.
After a year-long investigation, Tucson police formally charged James with three counts of first-degree murder on June 15, 2022. He was being held on $1 million bail.
James’ trial began on May 2 and ended on Monday. A post-jury verdict ruling is scheduled for June 12.
