Defendant used backpage.com to scout victims
Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin announced that today James Adams (age 34), with a last-known address of 12 Midway Drive, Warwick, was sentenced to life plus 100 years for murder, felony assault, and other crimes.
In June, a Providence Superior Court Jury found Adams guilty of the July 2012 murder of Mary Grier. In addition, Adams was found guilty of two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, one count of first degree robbery, and one count of possession of a firearm while having been previously convicted of a crime of violence. The charges are from three separate incidents involving three separate victims.
Superior Court Justice Robert D. Krause sentenced Adams to a life sentence for the murder of Mary Grier. Adams was also sentenced to 15 years to serve for each of the charges of felony assault, to run concurrent with each other but consecutive to his life sentence. Additionally, he was sentenced to 75 years on the first degree robbery charge (to run consecutive to the murder and felony assault charges), and 10 years on the charge of possession of a firearm while having been previously convicted of a crime of violence (consecutive to all other sentences). The defendant is currently serving an 11 year sentence as a violator of probation imposed for a previous sexual assault case. All sentences imposed today are consecutive to the defendant's violation sentence.
"As noted during sentencing, James Adams is a malicious predator who used backpage.com to scout for victims. He went on a three-week crime spree that escalated to murder," said Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin. "This website is the common denominator in numerous sexual assault and human trafficking cases. Backpage.com must do more to end the exploitation of human beings that continues to flourish on the site."
During the course of the trial, the State proved that in the early morning hours of June 24, 2012, Adams invited a woman he met at Ultra Night Club back to his house for an "after hours" party. Upon arrival at his residence in Johnston, the victim quickly realized there was no party, rather just her and the defendant. Adams robbed the woman of $300.
After leaving the residence, the victim reported the incident to the Providence Police, who in turn reported it to the Johnston Police.
Less than a week later, on June 30, 2012, Adams arranged an encounter with an escort who placed an advertisement on backpage.com. He arranged for the victim to come to a garage located at 389/391 Farmington Avenue, Cranston, where he resided at the time.
When the victim approached Adams outside the garage, he brandished what appeared to be a black handgun and demanded she get into the garage. She refused, turned, and attempted to get away. Adams chased her and struck her on the back of the head with a hard object, causing the victim to fall to the ground. A nearby light came on and distracted the defendant, allowing the victim to escape. The defendant also fled.
The victim sought medical attention at Landmark Medical Center, but did not immediately report the incident to police.
Approximately two weeks later, on July 15, 2012, Adams arranged to meet Mary Grier, whom he found on backpage.com, where she advertised as an escort. Grier's body was found five days later inside the garage at 391 Farmington Avenue. An autopsy indicated that Grier died of homicidal violence. The body was found with a ligature around her neck.
Phone records and DNA linked Adams to the crime, and he was arrested in Providence on July 24, 2012. When giving chase to the police, he threw a backpack on the ground. Police recovered the backpack, in which they found a black handgun, which was later discovered to be an Air-Soft pistol.
After his arrest, the two other victims identified Adams through photo arrays.
Cranston Police Detective Sergeant Mike Gates and Detective Anthony Massimino led the investigation. Assistant Attorney General John Krollman and Special Assistant Attorney General Kimberly Ahern prosecuted the case on behalf of the Office of Attorney General.