KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Henry County man faces charges in the June 17 murder of his significant other.
Harold D. James, 75, is charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action.
Around 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, the Henry County Sheriff’s Office was alerted to a shooting in the 700 block of SE 1251 Private Rd.
Once at the scene, in the Finey area, deputies located the victim, 54-year-old Jody James.
Deputies identified Jody as the significant other of Harold. Both are from Deepwater, Missouri.
Court documents state Jody’s sister first called the incident in. She also told deputies Harold had fled the scene in a silver Ford pickup truck in the direction of Highway Z, still armed with the murder weapon.
Deputies notified Benton County, as Harold was known to frequent the Berry Bend area.
Benton County deputies located Harold and took him into custody around noon.
“This was a tragic situation, but our deputies responded swiftly, worked calmly under pressure, and ensured that a suspect was taken into custody without further harm,” Henry County Sheriff Aaron Brown said on social media. “The teamwork between Henry and Benton County deputies was outstanding. I am proud of everyone involved and grateful for their professionalism."
Before he was taken into custody, Harold dropped off the firearm and his dog at the home of one of his friends, per court documents. He claimed he was not fleeing and just wanted his dog to be taken care of because he knew he had “messed up and was in a lot of trouble.”
Harold’s daughter told detectives he called her at 10:15 a.m. and again at 11:21 a.m. During the second call, he admitted he shot Jody and planned to turn himself in, the probable cause stated.
The daughter also said her father had said he feared for his safety due to a history of threats from Jody, including her allegedly pointing a handgun in his direction during arguments.
When detectives surveyed the scene, no firearms were located near Jody’s body. She was shot three times.
Around 7:40 p.m. Tuesday, detectives interviewed Harold. They noted he “emitted a strong odor of intoxicants and exhibited slurred, difficult to understand speech.”
During the interview, Harold provided “multiple conflicting accounts of the incident.”
Detectives said he claimed he had an argument with Jody about property before he shot her. He also claimed she nearly choked him to death twice before the shooting, but he did not have any injuries consistent with the alleged assault.
Before shooting her, he said he did not see a gun but believed she was going to kill him and could have retrieved a firearm earlier.
Overwhelmingly, he said he could not “remember most of the details,” per court documents.
Harold is in custody at the Henry County Detention Center on no bond.
His first court appearance is set for Friday morning.
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