VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A convicted murderer who was just sentenced earlier this year is being considered for the possibility of parole because of his age.
James King, 72, is convicted of murdering two women. He received two life sentences for assaulting and murdering Lexie Walters back in 2020 at the Days Inn off Bonney Road in Virginia Beach.
Previous coverage: Age allows violent 72-year-old murderer parole eligibility under Virginia law
Marie Jones was furious when she got an email from the Virginia Parole Board saying King, the man who sexually tortured and brutally beat her sister to death, was allowed to be considered for parole just a few months after his sentencing.
It's called "geriatric conditional release." Under Virginia law, an inmate must be at least 65 years old with 5 years served, or 60 with 10 years served, to be considered annually for release.
The current law excludes people convicted of Class 1 felonies, but King was found guilty of Class 2 felonies.
Previous coverage: Man gets 2nd murder conviction, this time for a woman found dead in Virginia Beach
King viciously murdered another woman back in the 80s in Ohio and served a 20-year sentence for that crime. He got out in 2007 and moved to Virginia Beach.
In 2018, he was arrested for sexually assaulting another woman, but the charges got reduced. He served one year for that crime, then got out and murdered Walters.
Jones said even the idea of King being eligible for having a hearing like this is ridiculous and should not be allowed.
“He had no compassion for what he did to my sister and other victims. Why do we have to have compassion for him for this geriatric compassion law?” said Jones.
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Jones is now fighting to have the Virginia law changed, calling it "Lexie’s Law," to make it tougher for repeat violent criminals to get considered to be released and do away with geriatric parole, among other changes.
Jones says she thought she and her family could start to heal after the conviction and sentencing. However, she says this new development in the case has been heartbreaking and devastating.
“We thought were going to be able to heal and start to try emotionally move on a little bit when we walked out of that courtroom,” said Jones, adding that dealing with this has opened the wounds back up.
On Monday, Sept. 8, King is scheduled to have a hearing regarding his possibly for parole under the Virginia law.
The Virginia Parole Board issued the following statement:
“The Code of Virginia requires Inmate King is considered for release but does not say that Inmate King will be released. While we cannot and would not comment on deliberations prior to a ruling, it is important to note that the Parole Board considers many factors including the likelihood a repeat offender will put the public in danger.
The King case is unusual due to his advanced age at the time of the offense combined with his lengthy pre-trial incarceration. As we discussed, he was incarcerated locally for many years prior to conviction and sentencing to the Virginia Department of Corrections. Due to his age, the Code requires five years of incarceration related to the sentencing offense to be eligible for geriatric release consideration.
Members of the public who wish to provide input on the King case or any matter before the Board are welcome to email the Parole Board at vpbmail@vpb.virginia.gov. To ensure that their input is considered by a Board member prior to considering the case, the interested party should email no later than the end of this week. All input provided is recorded in the parole record of the individual who is being considered.”
Anyone from the public is allowed to email them and voice their opinions about King getting parole by the end of this week.
King declined an interview with WTKR News 3 Investigator Margaret Kavanagh from jail.
