News Summary
The Virginia Parole Board has denied geriatric parole for 72-year-old James Richard King, a convicted murderer serving two life sentences for killing Lexie Walters. King’s parole eligibility will resume in three years. Following emotional appeals from Walters’ family and significant public opposition, the board’s decision underscores the challenges surrounding incarceration and parole decisions, particularly for repeat offenders. Marie Jones, Walters’ sister, is advocating for ‘Lexie’s Law’ to impose stricter conditions on parole applications for repeat offenders.
Virginia Beach – The Virginia Parole Board has denied geriatric parole for 72-year-old James Richard King, a convicted murderer serving two life sentences for the murder of Lexie Walters. This decision was made following a parole board meeting on September 2 where King presented his case.
King will not be eligible to reapply for parole for another three years, as confirmed by board spokeswoman Colleen Maxwell. The panel’s swift decision came after considering emotional appeals from family members of the victim, as well as receiving numerous public messages urging the board to keep King incarcerated. Marie Jones, the sister of Lexie Walters, expressed relief at the board’s decision and stated that she was “absolutely elated” by the outcome.
Walters was 53 years old when she was murdered in September 2020. Her body was discovered in a motel room in Virginia Beach, and King later confessed to police that he may have killed her. An autopsy indicated that she had been strangled and smothered to death. At the time of the murder, King was 67 years old and claimed to have been heavily drinking with Walters, resulting in a lack of memory regarding the events that led to her death.
This was not King’s first conviction for murder; he has a prior murder conviction from 1986 in Lucas County, Ohio, where he was found guilty of a brutal crime involving the beating, sexual assault, and strangulation of another woman. He was sentenced to 15 years to life but was released after serving 20 years. Following his release, King relocated to Virginia Beach, where he committed the murder of Walters.
Before this latest conviction, King spent over four years in the Virginia Beach city jail while awaiting trial for the Walters case, which concluded in October 2020. The Virginia Beach Circuit judge who presided over King’s sentencing indicated that he should “never see the light of freedom again until your life comes to an end,” underscoring the severity of his crimes.
In Virginia, geriatric parole eligibility applies to inmates aged 65 or older who have served at least five years of their sentence, or those who are 60 with a minimum of ten years served. Because King was convicted of Class 2 felonies, he was eligible to seek geriatric conditional release, unlike Class 1 felons who are excluded from this provision.
In light of the recent decision, Marie Jones is advocating for legislative change through a proposal she has named “Lexie’s Law.” This proposed legislation aims to ensure that repeat offenders like King face more stringent considerations before being granted parole. Specifically, Jones is campaigning for the clarification that time spent in pretrial confinement should not be counted towards an inmate’s time served for parole eligibility.
The Virginia Parole Board has indicated support for Jones’ legislative initiatives, signaling a potential pathway to enacting changes that would address the concerns raised by King’s case. The board’s willingness to back such efforts demonstrates a recognition of the need for reforms to enhance public safety, particularly regarding the release of convicted murderers.
As Virginia continues to grapple with issues surrounding incarceration and parole, the denial of James Richard King’s release serves as a significant example, prompting discussions around the balance between justice for victims and rehabilitation opportunities for offenders.
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Additional Resources
- Pilot Online: Geriatric Parole Denied for 72-Year-Old Virginia Beach Murderer
- WTKR: VA Law Allows Convicted Murderer Parole Eligibility Consideration Due to His Age
- WAVY: Police: 1 Killed, 1 Arrested in VB Shooting Death
- 13 News Now: Virginia Beach Murder Suspect Jail Interview
- Pilot Online: Virginia Beach Murderer Already Eligible for Parole
- Wikipedia: Parole
- Google Search: Virginia Parole
- Google Scholar: Criminal Justice Parole
- Encyclopedia Britannica: Parole
- Google News: Virginia Beach Murder Case
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