- Suspect: James Finch
- Victim: David Finch, 60
- Non-fatal victim: Kathy Finch
- Charges: Second-degree murder, attempt to commit first-degree murder, tampering with evidence, aggravated burglary
- Status: No contest plea to second-degree murder, attempt to commit first-degree murder, tampering with evidence, aggravated burglary
- Sentence: 27 years followed by 5 years supervised probation
- Date of incident: Aug. 24, 2015
- Relation to victim: Son
- Agency: Albuquerque Police Department
- Location: 1200 block of Grove Street NE, Albuquerque
- District case number: D-202-CR-201502502
- Magistrate case number: T-4-CR-2015011995
- Judicial district: Second Judicial District
Summary
James Finch allegedly stabbed his father to death and stabbed his mother, but not fatally, on Aug. 24, 2015.
On March 3, 2017, Finch pleaded no contest to charges of second-degree murder, attempt to commit first-degree murder, tampering with evidence and aggravated burglary. Per his plea, he will spend 27 years in prison and spend six years on supervised probation following his release from prison.
The case
Four days before James Finch stabbed his father to death and beat and stabbed his mother, he dug a grave in his parent’s back yard.
On Aug. 24, 2015, he broke into their house on Grove Street around 3 a.m. and attacked his parents.
His parents were so afraid of him they took out a restraining order and after he was released from jail a few days before he killed his father, David Finch, the latter went around his neighborhood, telling everyone to watch out for his son, Detective Leah Acata wrote in a statement of probable cause/criminal complaint for James Finch’s arrest.
When officers F. Duran and E. Bumphrey arrived at the house, after the 911 center received a call of a woman asking for help, Duran looked through a small window in the door and saw a naked man inside the house.
“The nude male ran from the south side of the residence,” Acata wrote. “Officer Duran stated he observed a large amount of blood inside of the residence. Officer Duran observed a female lying face up in a pool of blood.”
The woman, Kathy Finch, was calling out for help.
The two officers called for an ambulance and found they were unable to break through the front door so they went to the back of the house and jumped a wall.
“Officer Duran stated (he) observed bloody foot prints on the back porch (of the house),” Acata wrote. “Officer Duran stated he followed the foot prints where he observed a nude male, wearing only socks, hiding under a white table with a glass top. The table was located on the back porch of the residence.”
The two officers demanded that James Finch come out from the table and saw that he was covered in blood and had a cut on his hand. He did not fight them when he was arrested.
“James stated to police, ‘They are trying to kill us,’ ‘They are trying to kill my parents,’ ‘Please don’t leave me,’ ‘Please help me’ and ‘I don’t want to die,'” Acata wrote.
After arresting James Finch, Duran found that a back window at the house was broken out.
“Officer duran stated it appeared as if someone through (sic) a chair from the outside of the back window to the inside of the back window,” Acata wrote. “Officer Duran entered into the residence through the open back door due to hearing the continued cries for help from a female in the (house).”
Kathy Finch had multiple stab wounds and told Duran that her son attacked her. Next to her was David Finch, already dead, face down on a piece of a cinder block.
“Officer Duran observed another piece of cinder block lying next to Kathy which appeared to have blood and hair attached to the cinder block,” Acata wrote.
Duran found the master bedroom was “covered” in blood and found bloody clothing in the bathroom. The shower was running.
Next to David Finch, they found a 7-inch knife, covered in blood.
“Officer Duran stated both David and Kathy were nude when he located them,” Acata wrote.
Neighbor Tony Martinez told the officers about the grave the Finches found in their back yard, 3 feet wide and 9 feet long and said the Finches placed a note in their son’s former room stating that his personal belongings were in the shed. He was not allowed in the house and they had a restraining order against him.
Another witness, Lynn Russo, told the detectives that David and Kathy Finch had a solid door, with deadbolts, put into their bedroom because they were afraid of their son.
“Lynn stated she heard screaming from (the house) around 0300 hours on this date,” Acata wrote.
When interviewed by Bumphrey at the hospital which does not state if he was read his Miranda rights, including his right to remain silent, he told the officer that three men in masks picked him up from the homeless shelter. He described the three men as wearing all black.
“James stated the males drove him to his parent’s house, placed a gun in his mouth and told him he had to stab his parents or they would kill his parents,” Acata wrote. “James stated he did not want to kill his parents but he was forced to do it. No officer observed any subjects matching the description of the three unknown males in the area (of Grove Street NE).”
He was charged, in Albuquerque Metropolitan Court, on charges of open murder, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and aggravated burglary.
PC- James Finch - 8-24-2015Court proceedings
The indictment
On Sept. 17, 2015, an Albuquerque grand jury indicted James Finch on eight charges, and even more step down in-the-alternative charges.
- Count 1: First-degree murder or felony murder (a killing committed during the commission of another felony).
- Count 2: Attempted first-degree murder and a series of alternative counts, including aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and aggravated battery causing great bodily harm, for his attack on Kathy Finch.
- Count 3: Aggravated burglary with a deadly weapon.
- Count 4: Aggravated battery with a deadly weapon for his attack on his father, David Finch.
- Count 5: Tampering with evidence.
- Count 6: Aggravated stalking
- Count 7: Violation of a protection order
- Count 8: Violation of a protection order
Acata was the only person to testify.
Motions
On Jan. 12, 2016, prosecutor Spirit Gaines filed a motion to stay the case on the grounds that James Finch’s competency was in question.
Gaines wrote that his competency had been raised in a different case. The two cases were consolidated until his competency was determined.
On Oct. 14, 2016, the Albuquerque District Judge Brett Loveless found him competent to stand trial and lifted the hold on the case.
The Plea
On March 3, 2017, James Finch pleaded no contest to one count of second-degree murder, a serious violent offense, attempt to commit first-degree murder, tampering with evidence and aggravated burglary with a deadly weapon.
According to the plea agreement, James Finch will spend 27 years in prison, with five years of his 36 year sentence suspended, and to be spent on supervised probation.
According to the plea, the only count to be considered a serious violent offense is the charge of second-degree murder.
In addition, according to the plea, he was to serve the sentences for each crime consecutively, meaning one after the other, with the last eight years suspended in favor of five years of supervised probation.
Because second-degree murder is a serious violent offense, James Finch must serve 85 percent of the first 15 years of his sentence. Second-degree murder carries a maximum sentence of 15 years.
After he serves 85 percent of the first 15 years, he then begins to accrue good time at a rate of 50 percent and, after that point, he will be eligible for release after he has served half of the remaining 12 years on his sentence: six years.
Plea agreement - James Finch - 3-3-2017The sentencing
According to the Albuquerque Journal, Kathy Finch spoke during the sentencing and said that it may not be a long enough sentence, but she would be dead by the time James Finch is released from prison.
See the case documents on Google Drive or on Document Cloud
