Commonwealth v. James Richard King; Previously Convicted Murderer Sentenced to Two Life Terms for 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 sentenced today on charges of First Degree Murder and Object Sexual Penetration. A jury found him guilty of these charges on October 17, 2024.  Circuit Court Judge James C. Lewis, who presided over the three-day jury trial, sentenced King to two (2) terms of life in prison.

The Commonwealth’s evidence proved that on September 16, 2020, James King and the victim, 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. The victim drank four rum and cokes and had twelve (12) shots of Fireball Whisky.  When the bartender realized King was giving all the shots to the victim, she stopped serving them.  King offered her a large tip if she would continue serving the victim, and said to the bartender, “She [victim] is dying anyway.”  King and the victim 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, the victim 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 the victim’s 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 factually similar 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 this victim’s injuries.  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.