James Willie Grace

Background

James Willie Grace was a native of Durham, North Carolina. By age 31, he had been charged with housebreaking and assault with a deadly weapon, but the cases were not prosecuted.

After moving to New York, he drew a term of fifteen years in Sing Sing on conviction of burglary, robbery, and possession of a deadly weapon. He was paroled in 1974 and returned to Durham, where he soon earned a five-month jail sentence for assaults with a lead pipe and pistol.

Later, he was charged with robbery and rape of his own six-year-old daughter. Grace was dispatched to a state hospital for observation. Doctors there described him as a paranoid schizophrenic and pronounced him incompetent for trial.

Grace had encountered psychiatrists before. His mother had attempted to commit him once, referring to his violence and threats to take her life, but he was released after brief examination by doctors.

A police detective later sought committal on the ground of violent behavior and the suspect's incoherence during criminal interrogation, but he was again released in thirty days.

The offence

A brooding storm of violence broke in Durham on December 10, 1976, with the sniper shooting of a male car wash employee.

Six days later, David Solomon, a gas station attendant, was hit twice while filling a customer's tank.

On December 17, a Durham man was shot in the back and killed while walking with his girlfriend, on the street.

Next day, another man was gunned down in a city park.

On December 23, Herbert Bradshaw, editor of a local newspaper, was killed by a bullet that crashed through his kitchen window.

Within hours, sniper fire had been directed at a Durham school, a grocery store, and an ambulance crew responding to an emergency call.

Investigation

Police initially saw “no connections” in the series of attacks until December 23.

A witness at the grocery identified Grace as the gunman, and the hunt was on.

Arrest

Grace was arrested in a nearby town on December 28.

He was held on charges of using a deadly weapon with intent to kill. He was eventually connected with the other incidents.

Sentencing

Grace had previously been convicted of burglary, robbery, and possession of a deadly weapon and had received a fifteen-year term in Sing Sing.

After returning to Durham, he earned a five-month jail sentence for assaults with a lead pipe and pistol.

Outcome

Durham’s population breathed a collective sigh of relief as their resident sniper was packed off to prison.

Other details

Grace was described by doctors as a paranoid schizophrenic and was pronounced incompetent for trial in relation to the robbery and rape charge involving his own six-year-old daughter.