- In 2001, James Williams III killed his father James Williams Jr. and his stepmother, Cindy Lassiter Mangum Williams. Their bodies were found a week later near Shiloh Park in Brandon.
- In 2005, James Williams III was convicted of both murders and he was sentenced to two consecutive life terms with no possibility of parole.
- On April 22, 2021, the U.S Supreme Court passed a ruling that persons under 18 years of age would not be allowed a life sentence without the possibility of parole. With this Supreme Court decision, the families are now required to go before the parole board every year to keep a convicted murderer in prison. In the subsequent years, the family and mother’s friends have voiced disagreement with James Williams III release either by letters or in person in front of the parole board. During these face-to-face meetings, the family members were promised Williams would never be paroled.
- On April 15, 2023, Mrs. Williams sister, Brenda Rankin, received a letter from the parole board stating that James Williams III will be released for parole around May 16, 2023. Mrs. Williams’ family did not receive notification of a hearing for the parole hearing, therefore no family members appeared before the parole board to protest his release.
Mrs. Wiliams’ family vehemently disagrees with the murderer’s release. James Williams III’s motivation for killing his father and stepmother was for financial gain. He presumed by killing them he would inherit $850,000 in life insurance benefits and more. His first attempt to kill his father and stepmother was by poisoning them. When that did not work fast enough, he shot them. He then put their bodies in trash bags inside Rubbermaid containers and hid them in a wooded area near Shiloh Park in Brandon, Miss.
“James Williams III is a cold-blooded killer that has never shown an ounce of remorse for the murders and subsequent devastation that he created for my family,” stated Zeno Mangum, son of Cindy Lassiter Mangum. “We are concerned not only for our personal safety, but also for the safety of anyone who may come in contact with this psychopath.”
Mangum continued, “I am so upset by this whole situation. I mourn the loss of my mother and her husband. She was taken from me when I was only 20 years old. She was not here for my wedding or to have the opportunity to meet my children. They never had the chance to know what a wonderful person she was. Our family has suffered her loss for the past 20 years.”
Mangum says it is confusing why he or other family members were not notified of the parole hearing and why the same board that assured the family just a year ago that Williams III would never be released has reversed their decision. Having to go before the board every year to keep a person in prison that committed two horrific murders and received two life sentences is cruel to the victim’s family. There are no rights for the victims or their family from this cold-blooded killer. We are asking the Mississippi Parole Board and any public officials for help to keep this murderer in prison where he belongs.
If you have any questions, please contact Zeno Mangum at [email protected] or 601-927-3642. We appreciate any help that you can give our family.
How you can help:
Letter of Release for James Williams III, MDOC Inmate # 110719:
Comment
Comments