James Tooley Murderer Found Guilty of Double Murder

Publish date: 2024-05-17

James Charles Tooley has been found guilty of the aggravated murders of two other oxycodone dealers in 2008.

The verdict was given by a Multnomah County Jury following 2.5 weeks of trial and three days of deliberation.

Judge John Wittmayer read out the verdict, while Tooley appeared to show little emotion.

Tooley’s Victims

Tooley was found guilty of the murder of Melinda Beth Kotkins and Anthony Patrick Cooper, both of whom were killed by being shot in the head.

Their bodies were later discovered with parts of their remains having been eaten by a dog trapped inside the house.

Verdict on the Death Penalty

Tooley now faces the possibility of the death penalty, with the jury set to reconvene over the next two or three days to decide his fate.

The other potential sentences on the table include life in prison or a life sentence with the possibility of being freed after 30 years.

Prosecution’s Case

During the trial, prosecutors argued that Tooley had confided in three people that he was the killer.

One of these people was his cousin, who testified that Tooley had told him that he killed Kotkins first, and then Cooper.

Prosecution also pointed to phone recordings in which Tooley is heard directing his wife to give $2,400 to the mother of a fellow inmate in jail.

The inmate himself testified that Tooley wanted him to kill his cousin.

Tooley’s Defense

In contrast, Tooley’s defense team claimed that he was not trying to orchestrate a murder-for-hire plot from jail.

They stated that he simply planned to pay the inmate the sum of money so that he would supply Tooley with drugs while he was in jail.

Furthermore, they argued that Tooley had helped Cooper pick out the gun used in the killings, which is why his fingerprint was discovered on a gun case found in the house.

The Words of Three Witnesses

Tooley’s defense team dismissed the words of the three people who testified to his confession as irrelevant.

They stated that, in the case of the inmate, he had a motive to lie since the prosecutor had offered him reduced prison time if he testified.

The cousin, they argued, did not have knowledge of the details of the killings, and other relatives say he lied.

Tooley’s Drug Addiction

Throughout the course of the trial, Tooley’s attorneys emphasized that he was suffering from a drug addiction.

They claimed that, for him, existing without drugs was a matter of “life and death”. They suggested that he had not committed the murders as part of a wider plan, but as part of a drug deal gone wrong.

Tooley’s Reaction to the Verdict

Tooley himself showed little emotion after hearing the guilty verdict. Moments before the verdict was read out, he had winked and smiled at his family members in the audience.

However, as Judge Wittmayer read out the verdict, he appeared to glance down.

The Trial Continues

As the jury reconvenes, they will decide what form of punishment to impose on Tooley. With the possibility of the death penalty on the table, the decision is a weighty one.

Meanwhile, Tooley remains in custody, awaiting his fate.

Conclusion

James Charles Tooley has been found guilty of the aggravated murders of two oxycodone dealers in 2008.