Tucson man convicted of killing estranged wife, her 2 children

A Tucson man accused of killing his estranged wife and her two children was convicted Monday of three counts of first-degree murder.

A Pima County Superior Court jury found 47-year-old John Edward James guilty after a trial that began May 2.

A sentencing date wasn't immediately available.

James was accused of fatally shooting 44-year-old Willona Ametrice White, 18-year-old Talmadge Holmes Jr. and 14-year-old Jaiden White.

The three were found dead at the couple’s Tucson home in June 2021.

Back to homepage

Subscriber Login

Keep reading with a digital access subscription.

Subscribe now

All had been shot several times and at least one of the victims was asleep at the time of the murders, according to Tucson police.

At the time of the killings, authorities said James was out on a $5,000 bond on charges of domestic violence against Willona White in December 2019.

Prosecutors said homicide detectives were able to find probable cause to charge James in the case in June 2022. Since then, he had been jailed on a $1 million bond.