James Harris: Difference between revisions

{{quote|He's a monster. We're very happy to get him off the streets.|Homicide Captain James Clark<ref name=cnn/>}}

'''James Harris''' was a rapist and murderer from the Unites States. His history of serious violence began in 1982 with the killing of his abusive father, and culminated in the 2015 rape and murder of Jasmine Wright in Philadelphia. Harris committed suicide in 2017.

As a child Harris suffered violent beatings at the hands of his father, [[James Washington]], who also abused his mother.<ref name=philly2>[http://www.philly.com/philly/news/crime/Convicted-killer-of-Drexel-grad-student-hangs-self-in-Graterford-cell.html Convicted killer of recent Drexel grad hangs self in Graterford cell] - The Inquirer</ref> He suffered multiple head wounds, being shot twice in the head as well as in the eye with an arrow.<ref name=philly1>[http://www.philly.com/philly/news/crime/Maintaining-innocence-W-Phila-handyman-gets-life-for-rape-murder-of-Drexel-graduate-student.html Maintaining innocence, handyman gets life for rape-murder of Drexel grad student] - The Inquirer</ref> He dropped out of high school.<ref name=philly2/> From age 13 to 18 he was detained at reform school St. Gabriel's Hall, where his parents sent him.<ref name=nbcp>[https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Brother-of-Handyman-Accused-of-Drexel-Grads-Murder-Thats-the-Billion-Dollar-Question-Why-318705381.html 'We Were Just Bad Kids': Brother of Handyman Accused of Raping, Murdering Drexel Grad Opens Up] - NBC Philadelphia</ref> In 1982, shortly after returning from St. Gabriel's Hall,<ref name=nbcp/> he killed Washington and spent around five years imprisoned for voluntary manslaughter,<ref name=philly2/> out of a sentence of three to seven years.<ref name=cnn/> After his release he picked up convictions for drugs crimes and trespass.<ref name=trian>[https://thetriangle.org/news/former-drexel-handyman-held-on-trial-for-murder-and-rape-of-grad-student/ Former Drexel handyman held on trial for murder and rape of grad student] - The Triangle</ref> Police called him a career criminal; he had faced allegations of sexual assaults, robberies, and burglaries.<ref name=cnn>[http://edition.cnn.com/2015/07/24/us/philadelphia-handyman-charged-in-murder/index.html Apartment building's former handyman accused of raping, murdering tenant] - CNN</ref>

Harris was committed for trial on October 13, 2015 by which time he was claiming a consensual sexual relationship with Wright and that after having sex with her an unknown assailant had killed her.<ref name=trian/> He struck a deal that dropped the death penalty in exchange for waiving hi right to a jury trial, but rejected a plea deal offering a sentence of 50 to 100 years in custody.<ref name=philly2/> As a result in March 2017 he faced a 2½ day trial before Philadelphia Common Pleas Court Judge Sandy L.V. Byrd and was convicted of murder, rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, and burglary.<ref name=abc7/> He received a mandatory life without parole sentence as the murder charge was in the first degree, plus a consecutive total of 30 to 60 years for the other crimes.<ref name=philly2/> At sentencing he remained defiantly claiming Wright was his lover and her loss was as painful as that of his mother.<ref name=philly1/>

[[Category:Suicidal Villains]]

[[Category:Tragic Villain]]