Tucson man found guilty of executing wife, her 2 teen children

TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) - A man has been convicted of executing his estranged wife and her two teen children in Tucson nearly two years ago.

A jury found John Edwards James, 47, guilty of three counts of murder on Monday, May 15.

Authorities said James fatally shot Jaiden White, 14, Talmadge Holmes Jr., 18, and Willona Ametrice White, 44, in a home near Stella and Prudence roads in Tucson on June 30, 2021.

The case went cold until June 16, 2022, when James was charged with murder. James, White’s estranged husband, had been in jail on a drug charge, but police added three murder charges after connecting him to the crime.

Police said the scene inside the home was extremely violent and grim. During the trial, it was revealed all three were shot several times.

“The victims were executed. They were shot multiple times,” Tucson Police Detective Pat Robinson said. Robinson said at least one of the victims was asleep.

At the time of the killings, James was out on a $5,000 bond on charges of domestic violence against White in December 2019.

Police arrested him on two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, two counts of disorderly conduct domestic violence, two counts of kidnapping and one count of possessing a deadly weapon (a handgun and shotgun) by a prohibited possessor, all felonies.

13 News’ Valerie Cavazos covered the James case in her Free to Kill series, which looks at the release to pretrial services of violent offenders.

The links to all the Free to Kill stories involving James are listed below.