Commonwealth v. James Richard King; Jury Finds Previously Convicted Murderer Guilty of Committing Second Brutal Murder, Sexual Assault

Virginia Beach, Va. – Colin D. Stolle, Commonwealth’s Attorney for the city of Virginia Beach, announced that James Richard King, age 71, formerly of the 600 block of Liberty Bell Road in Virginia Beach, Virginia, was found guilty of First Degree Murder, First Degree Murder while Committing Object Sexual Penetration, and Object Sexual Penetration. Circuit Court Judge James C. Lewis, who presided over the three-day jury trial, will sentence King on February 13, 2025.

The Commonwealth’s evidence proved that on September 16, 2020, James King and the victim, Lexie Walters, were in an on and off relationship.  That afternoon, they went to a bar for several hours.  King, who ordered and purchased all the drinks, drank five Budweiser beers. Walters drank four rum and cokes and had twelve (12) shots of Fireball Whisky.  When the bartender realized King was giving all the shots to Walters, she stopped serving them.  King offered her a large tip if she would continue serving Walters, and said to the bartender, “She [Walters] is dying anyway.”  King and Walters left the bar and went to the hotel room he had rented at the Days Inn on Bonney Road.  Video surveillance showed them entering the hotel room together.  About an hour later, King exited the hotel room and went to his vehicle.  The surveillance showed a shirtless and shoeless King making multiple trips to and from the hotel room to his vehicle throughout the evening and the next morning; however, Walters was never seen on the surveillance video again. 

On the morning of September 17, 2020, King went to a Virginia Beach Police Department precinct and told staff and police officers that there was a body in his hotel room and that he would like the police to find the body before housekeeping does.  He said, “I’ve flipped out before,” “I did a murder gig in Ohio,” and “I did the same thing I’m doing right now.”  He admitted that on the way to the police station, he drove around drinking coffee, smoking cigarettes, and taking cash out of his bank account because he knew he was going to jail.

Police responded to the Days Inn and found Lexie Walters’ deceased body on a couch.  She suffered asphyxiation by strangling and smothering; blunt force trauma to her face, shoulders, right breast, right hip, and abdomen; petechiae of her face, eyes, and mouth; and blunt force injuries to her genitalia. 

In 1990, King was convicted of a similarly committed murder in 1986 in Lucas County, Ohio. In that case, the victim was the mother of the bride at a wedding King attended. There was evidence of sexual assault, and her injuries were similar to Walters’.  King appeared at the police station in Lucas County and turned himself in.  Police later found the victim’s body in King’s apartment. King served twenty (20) years for her murder.

King also attacked a woman in Virginia Beach in 2018 and was sentenced to twelve (12) months for Assault and Battery.

Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorneys Janeé D. Joslin and Tabitha B. Anderson prosecuted this case. Please contact Macie Allen if additional information is desired.