James Randall (murderer)
James Randall | |
---|---|
Born | James Michael Randall August 28, 1954 |
Spouse | Linda Randall (June 9, 1979; 1998?) |
Criminal penalty | Life imprisonment |
Details | |
Victims | 2+ |
Span of crimes | 1995–1996 |
Country | United States |
State(s) | Florida, Massachusetts |
Date apprehended | July 1, 1996 |
James Michael Randall (born August 28, 1954) is an American criminal whose convictions include multiple
1980s prosecutions
Randall was a chief suspect in the 1984 death of Boston resident Holly Jean Cote, whose death by strangulation was never solved. Cote was a friend of Randall's then-wife, Linda Randall.[3] Cote was last seen alive in the area of Gardner, Massachusetts on March 4, 1984. Her body was found in early May in a marsh near Birch Hill Dam in Royalston, Massachusetts.[4] His suspected involvement in Cote's death is based on statements Randall made to his then-wife and to mental health workers during interactions he had with psychiatric services in late 1984, and on the fact that Cote's body was recovered in a fishing area Randall was known to frequent.[5] Randall was never charged with an offence relating to Cote's death but evidence relating to the investigation was raised in the subsequent Evans/Pugh murder trial.
In the late 1980s a
Murders of Wendy Evans and Cynthia Pugh
On October 20, 1995, Wendy Evans, a suspected Florida sex worker, was killed by strangulation; her naked body was found on Myrtle Lane in Oldsmar by a pizza delivery driver later the same day. On January 18, 1996, Cynthia Pugh, another Florida prostitute, was also killed by strangulation, her body being discovered on January 19, 1996.[5]
Police identified James Randall as a person of interest in relation to both deaths after finding tire marks that matched Randall's
Police investigations revealed that Randall had a history of engaging in consensual erotic asphyxiation with his sexual partners, along with allegations of non-consensual violent attacks on his then-girlfriend Terry-Jo Howard involving in part attempts to choke her.[5]
In April 1997 Randall was convicted by a Florida jury of
Randall appealed the murder convictions; his appeal was heard by the Supreme Court of Florida in 2000. The court upheld the appeals and found that Randall had most likely choked Evans and Pugh for pleasure, not to kill them. Accordingly, the conviction for first-degree murder was replaced with a conviction for second-degree murder in relation to both deaths, and his death sentences were changed to sentences of life imprisonment.[5] Randall is held in Taylor C. I. Annex, Perry, Florida.
The murders of Evans and Pugh have been featured on
Other deaths
Randall has been the target of allegations that he was involved in other deaths in Massachusetts and Florida. The initial investigations that linked Randall to the deaths of Evans and Pugh involved inquiry into a series of deaths involving female victims, many of them prostitutes, who were killed by strangulation and whose bodies were found naked.
The
Although investigations are continuing, no charges have been laid against Randall relating to other deaths.
References
- ^ a b Telegram.com Inmate in Fla. is chief suspect in 84 slaying of Holly Cote 28 January 2007
- ^ St Petersburg Times, Death of a local Scientologist remains an open investigation, 7 June 1998
- ^ BostonHerald.com Worcester investigators hope blood stain solves cold case January 19, 2008.
- ^ The Sunday Telegram, Unsolved, September 2007
- ^ a b c d e f Florida Supreme Court Randall v. Florida April 20, 2000.
- ^ TampaBay.com Killer escapes death, but not a life in prison[permanent dead link] September 23, 2000
- ^ a b TampaBay.com Killer sentenced to 5 years for fleeing police[permanent dead link] April 16, 1997
- ^ TampaBay.com Prostitutes' killer sentenced to death[permanent dead link], April 5, 1997
- ^ St Petersburg Times, Suspicions widen in prostitute slaying case[permanent dead link] 19 September 1996