James Shade (Placer County District Attorney’s Office)
A 32-year-old man in California may spend the rest of his life behind bars for brutally stabbing his 62-year-old father to death and showing “no signs of remorse” for the gruesome crime. Placer County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey S. Penney on Friday ordered James Shade to serve a sentence of 26 years to life in a state correctional facility for the slaying of his father Larry Shade inside his home two years ago.
A jury last month found Shade guilty on one count of premeditated first-degree murder with use of a deadly weapon in his father’s 2021 death.
According to a press release from the Placer County District Attorney’s Office, Shade’s conviction stems from an incident on March 14, 2021, when the Roseville Police Department responded to a distress call at a residence located in the 600 block of Hanisch Drive.
Upon arriving at the scene, first responders located the victim — later identified as Shade’s father — who appeared to have multiple injuries as a result of a violent stabbing and was pronounced dead on the scene. Prior to his death, the victim had made his way to a neighbor’s home seeking help but succumbed to his injuries on their front porch while waiting for medical assistance.
During the subsequent investigation, authorities found documents at the victim’s house containing the name of the defendant, James Shade, who was revealed to be the victim’s son. Surveillance footage confirmed Shade’s presence at the scene as his vehicle was observed fleeing. He was later apprehended by police at his residence in Paradise.
Throughout the trial, details emerged regarding Shade’s troubled relationship with his father, the DA said. The defendant harbored anger and resentment towards his father, stemming from a “tumultuous childhood.” However, the victim had attempted to assist Shade and establish a connection with him during his adult years.
Despite allowing Shade to reside on his property in Paradise, California, the victim had made plans to relocate back to the property in the weeks leading up to his untimely demise. This decision exacerbated the existing conflict between Shade and his father.
At trial, witnesses testified to the defendant’s history of making threats against his father in the years and weeks prior to the attack, prosecutors say. They also recounted instances of previous violence between Shade and his father. Shade himself took the stand and claimed that he had driven from Paradise to his father’s residence in Roseville to serve him with a restraining order. He alleged that he acted in self-defense when he stabbed his father.
During the trial, it was revealed that the defendant had inflicted more than 20 stab wounds on the victim, using a knife that the victim had given him as a gift weeks prior to the murder. This fact, combined with the dearth of contrition from Shade, deeply troubled Deputy District Attorney Anna Duffy.
“The defendant’s lack of remorse has been particularly disturbing.” said Deputy District Attorney Anna Duffy. “He showed no signs of remorse immediately after killing his father, during his testimony at trial and in statements he made after the jury rendered its verdict. His anger toward his father did not in any way justify his decision to brutally end another human’s life. He made the choice to extinguish the life of a father, brother, son, uncle and friend to avenge his own anger, without regard to the suffering he caused to the victim or those who cared about the victim.”
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
Follow Law&Crime:
