James Allen Paul

Case record: James Allen Paul

Status

James Allen Paul was sentenced to life imprisonment in New Jersey on July 27, 1984. He died in prison on March 3, 2000.

Background

James Allen Paul was a native of Norfolk, Virginia. He was first diagnosed as schizophrenic in the early 1960s. He spent the next two decades in Cambridge, Maryland, and was briefly married there.

In early 1982, Paul’s wife filed criminal charges against him on two separate occasions, but both cases were dismissed.

Investigation

Authorities were also interested in Paul’s knowledge of a double murder charged against a local pusher. The witness fled before he could be called upon to testify in court.

Offence

January 2, 1984 — stolen payroll check

Paul was indicted with one of his relatives for trying to cash a stolen payroll check on January 2, 1984.

May 15, 1984 — Virginia Vickory

On May 15, 1984, Virginia Vickory was found dead in Readington Township, New Jersey. She had been shot twice in the face at close range.

Detectives learned that Virginia Vickory had spent the past twelve months in residence at a local motel. Another tenant, James Paul, had checked out on the same day Virginia Vickory disappeared. They were last seen together, leaving the motel in her car.

May 17, 1984 — Robin White goes out seeking work

On the seventeenth, Robin White left her home in Willington, Connecticut, informing relatives that a stranger had offered her employment on a horse ranch at nearby Portland.

May 20, 1984 — Robin White

Robin White’s body was discovered on May 20 in a rural part of Portland. She had a single bullet in her brain.

May 22, 1984 — George Call

On May 22, 1984, a trucker found George Call, 45, lying dead near his car at a rest stop on Interstate 91, near Springfield, Vermont. As with Virginia Vickory, two bullets in the face at point-blank range had done the job.

May 10 theft of a pistol

Paul later pled guilty to the May 10 theft of a pistol.

Murder and robbery linked to his confession

Ballistics tests linked Paul’s gun to the murders of Call and Vickory. Paul’s confession bridged the gap with Robin White.

Arrest

Detectives learned that Virginia Vickory’s car was parked outside a diner where Paul was located, and a .22-caliber revolver was hidden under the front seat. Court-approved wiretaps had broken the case.

A warrant was issued for Paul’s arrest on May 22.

Meanwhile, on May 22, police in North Arlington, New Jersey, surrounded James Paul at a local cafe, interrupting his phone call to relatives in the vicinity.

Trial

Sentencing

On June 26, Paul pled guilty to the May 10 theft of a pistol, along with the May 15 murder and robbery of Virginia Vickory.

On July 27, he was sentenced to life imprisonment, with a minimum term of thirty years in the Vickory case. Concurrent terms of five years for burglary and theft (of the pistol) and eighteen months for forgery (of the 1984 payroll check) were added to his sentence by the court.

Outcome

Paul was sentenced to life imprisonment in New Jersey on July 27, 1984.

Aftermath

Paul died in prison on March 3, 2000.

Timeline

• January 2, 1984 — Paul was indicted with one of his relatives for trying to cash a stolen payroll check.
• May 15, 1984 — Virginia Vickory was found dead in Readington Township, New Jersey; she was shot twice in the face at close range.
• May 17, 1984 — Robin White left home in Willington, Connecticut, telling relatives a stranger offered her employment on a horse ranch at nearby Portland.
• May 20, 1984 — Robin White’s body was discovered in a rural part of Portland; she had a single bullet in her brain.
• May 22, 1984 — A trucker found George Call, 45, dead near his car at a rest stop on Interstate 91 near Springfield, Vermont; he had two bullets in the face at point-blank range.
• May 22, 1984 — Police surrounded James Paul at a local cafe in North Arlington, New Jersey, interrupting his phone call; a .22-caliber revolver was found under the front seat and Virginia Vickory’s car was parked outside the diner.
• June 26, 1984 — Paul pled guilty to the May 10 theft of a pistol, and to the May 15 murder and robbery of Virginia Vickory.
• July 27, 1984 — Paul was sentenced to life imprisonment in New Jersey, with a minimum term of thirty years in the Vickory case; concurrent terms of five years for burglary and theft and eighteen months for forgery were added.
• March 3, 2000 — Paul died in prison.

Other details

Paul shot two women and a 45-year-old man in separate incidents. At least one victim was robbed. Paul’s sentence included life with a 30-year minimum on a guilty plea to one count in New Jersey in 1984.