James Belknap

Overview

James Roy Belknap was a Nicholas County man who killed four people. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to four life sentences with no chance of parole on August 28, 2013.

Victims

Steven Leroy Hendrix was killed. His girlfriend, Amber Martin, was killed. Hendrix’s children, Dakota Hendrix (age six) and Kaylee (age four), were also killed.

Investigation

Police said the crimes were about a drug debt owed to Belknap. Police said Hendrix and Belknap had been fighting about the payment, and investigators said Hendrix likely went to Belknap’s property to attempt to collect the money. Police said the bodies were found in May 2012 after they were reported missing. Police reported that after shooting all four victims, Belknap stripped the bodies and dumped them near his Leivasy home.

Police said Belknap owed Hendrix money for drugs, and police received information from several people about how Belknap and Hendrix were in a fight over drug money. The investigation found that the victims were intentionally killed, stripped of their clothing, and dumped over the side of a mountain.

Arrest

James Roy Belknap was arrested at a roadblock not far from a crime scene. Police said Belknap was captured after attempting to drive through a checkpoint near the town of Carl. Belknap was described as the passenger in an S-10 pickup truck. Mark Haynes, 53, was the driver and was also arrested there.

West Virginia State Police 1st Sgt. Michael Baylous said:

"It appears he was just trying to go through the checkpoint without being noticed."

Baylous said Belknap was taken into custody without incident and that the driver obstructed troopers. Police said Belknap remained silent and stared down at the ground and answered no questions as he was escorted to a State Police car, barefoot. Police said a resident, Nichole Carr, of Rupert, was scared to leave her home when Belknap was still on the run. Carr said:

"A lot of people are freaking out and in shock."

Troopers said the U.S. Marshals Service and other departments came together to search for Belknap, and Baylous said:

"We're just very relieved and the public should be relieved as well to know that these agencies came together and they performed their duties and they performed them admirably"

Police charged Haynes with obstructing an officer and being an accessory to murder after the fact. Belknap and Haynes were arraigned Monday evening in Nicholas County Magistrate Court. Police said Belknap was being held without bond in Central Regional Jail.

Trial

Belknap’s trial was scheduled to begin August 13. Belknap had initially pleaded not guilty. He later made a plea bargain with the prosecutor’s office to plead guilty to the four murders, so accessory charges against Carrie Nelson, 32, Wanda Einstein, 49, and Mark Haynes, 54, would be dropped.

At the sentencing hearing, Belknap had the opportunity to address the court but asked his attorney to apologize on his behalf.

Sentencing

Nicholas County Circuit Judge Gary Johnson sentenced Belknap to four life sentences without parole and without mercy on August 28, 2013.

Nicholas County Prosecuting Attorney James “P.K.” Milam reviewed the statement Belknap gave to State Police Sgt. D.A. Evans. Milam said Belknap arrived in a van along with Martin and Hendrix and his two children, Dakota and Kaylee, near Belknap’s house on May 19, 2012.

Milam said Belknap first shot Hendrix in the chest and then fired a second round into his head. Milam said Amber Martin yelled, “James, help the kids!” Milam said Martin’s final thoughts were about the safety of Kaylee and Dakota, as the gunman turned his weapon on Kaylee and fired a single shot into her head. Milam said Kaylee was killed by bullet fragments, as Dakota watched from the back seat of the van. Milam said Belknap started walking away from the van but then turned back and killed his final victim, a 6-year-old boy who witnessed it all.

Judge Gary Johnson addressed Belknap at sentencing and said:

"and this is the most horrific, reprehensible act I’ve ever seen as a judge in this county."

Judge Johnson said Belknap started out with marijuana, then cocaine, then prescription pills. Judge Johnson said because of his drug use, Belknap contracted hepatitis C and other illnesses. Judge Johnson said:

"I hope it’s a lesson to kids who think about using drugs."

Judge Johnson handed down the four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole. Judge Johnson said:

"I only regret that there’s nothing more I can do to ease the lives of the families of the children,"

Judge Johnson noted there were over $20,000 in funeral bills and that if the state ever seizes any of Belknap’s property, the money would be used toward restitution. After the judge delivered the sentence, Bruce Martin said:

"He’ll pay,"

and said:

"The good Lord will take care of him."

Amber’s aunt, Dicie Hamrick, said she was satisfied with Belknap’s sentence but that it could not bring her niece back. Hamrick said:

"We miss her so much."

Hamrick said:

"She can’t be brought back, but this happened over drugs. If you’re on drugs, please get help, before you end up like this."

Aftermath

Kelly Wickline spoke before sentencing and said:

"I pray to God they haunt you."

Before that, Wickline said:

"Look at me. Don’t look down,"

Bruce Martin asked Belknap if the deaths were worth money and drugs, saying:

"Do you think four lives is worth money and drugs?"

Amber’s father Bruce Martin said:

"I hope you pay for what the hell you did."

Sherry Hendrix, Steven’s sister, told Belknap:

"You took away my baby brother and my youngest niece and nephew."

Sherry Hendrix said:

"My mother had a nervous breakdown and I nearly lost her."

She said:

"You’ve devastated three mothers."

She then said:

"Keep looking at me."

Sherry Hendrix said:

"I’m going to keep trying to forgive you, not for you, but to let go of the pain and hurt in my mind."

She said:

"I pray that you see them every night as they were before and after."

She said:

"I hope you live a long, healthy life behind bars."

She said:

"I pray not just for our family, but yours, too."

She said:

"I pray for them, too."

Police said the bodies were found on May 25 near Belknap’s home. Police said the following evening, the bodies of all four victims were found, stripped naked and dumped less than a mile away from Belknap’s residence.

Other details

Belknap was charged in May with shooting and killing Steven Hendrix, his two children, ages 4 and 6, and Amber Martin on his Leivasy property.

Belknap walked into a Nicholas County Circuit Court courtroom and told Circuit Court Judge Gary Johnson that he was not guilty for the killings, with his trial scheduled for April 16.

Belknap was described as a 27-year-old from Leivasy.

Prior 2005 murder investigation

Belknap had been charged in the 2005 murder death of Richard Parnell.

In July 2005, Parnell, Belknap, and Belknap’s father Kenneth Belknap went to a White Buck Knob residence in Leivasy after getting cocaine. Kenneth Belknap argued that some of the cocaine was missing. After Parnell was forced from the car at gunpoint, he was put in a shed described in court records by Belknap as a pigpen. Parnell was shot in the head and chest with a 12-gauge shotgun. The shed was then lit on fire and kept burning for two days. Belknap helped his father attempt to burn the body.

At the crime scene, police found only bone fragments and bullet shells. The case was built largely on statements by the Belknaps, and Kenneth Belknap admitted to the crime. Kenneth Belknap was currently serving a life sentence with mercy for the killing.

The kidnapping charge was dropped in connection with the 2005 investigation. In a plea agreement with then prosecuting attorneys Jonathan Sweeney and Mark Hudnall, James Belknap pleaded guilty only to drug charges, while the murder and kidnapping charges were dismissed.

A letter from Parnell’s mother dated August 27, 2006 detailed her displeasure with the prosecutor over the plea deal and stated:

"It just seems to us that you don't even want to put up a fight against [sic] Defense Attorney Chris Moorehead. We would like to state that we feel that your office is not, has not given this your best effort,"

Statements given by James Belknap remained sealed by Judge Gary Johnson. James Belknap’s former attorney, Paul Williams, worked for the prosecutor’s office. Former Prosecuting Attorney Mark Hudnall declined comment for the story.

James Belknap was accused in 2005 of helping dispose of the body, after being cleared of the crime because West Virginia state law states a family member cannot be charged with accessory. The investigation described that James Belknap was not there at the time of the killing. Belknap would spend a year behind bars on drug charges, and his father remained incarcerated at Mount Olive Correctional Facility.

Education and personal history

Belknap graduated near the top of his class in 2004 from Richwood High School. He was involved in several clubs including Future Business Leaders of America and was in the prom court. High school friends said Belknap was quiet, but friendly, and that he was known for partying.

A woman who knew Belknap intimately was quoted as saying:

"The thing that shocked was those kids being killed, nothing else about it surprised me,"