James Paul Anderson: Former special ed teacher drops dead in court moments before being sentenced for murder
A man accused of murdering his wife has dropped dead in court moments before he was due to be sentenced to decades behind bars.
James Paul Anderson, a former special education teacher and clown, attended the Criminal Justice Centre in Houston on September 26 to make a plea after being charged in 2023 over the shooting death of his wife, Victoria Anderson, in Kingwood.
Ms Anderson, 34, who had filed for divorce a month earlier, called 911 on September 24, 2023, saying her husband had threatened to kill her.
Sign up to The Nightly's newsletters.
Get the first look at the digital newspaper, curated daily stories and breaking headlines delivered to your inbox.
By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.The call-taker then reported hearing a gunshot.
When police arrived at their home, Anderson allowed the couple’s three-year-old son to leave before barricading himself inside and sparking an hours-long stand-off until his eventual arrest.
The 39-year-old was charged with murder and given bail with a $US300,000 bond.
The Harris County District Attorney’s Office said shortly after arriving in court last week to plead to the charge, Anderson experienced “a medical emergency”.
“A bailiff for the court administered naloxone before EMS arrived. He was transported by the Houston Fire Department to Ben Taub hospital where he was pronounced dead at 11.05am,” a statement from the DA’s office read.
“At the time of the incident, Anderson was set to agree to be sentenced to 35 years in prison as part of a plea deal.”
Witnesses told local station KHOU11 that Anderson spoke to his attorney before leaving the court briefly.
On his return he was seen spitting something into a rubbish bin and minutes later he started vomiting and collapsed.
It is understood a bag with a brown, crystal-like substance, believed to be meth, was found in the rubbish bin.
An autopsy will be held to determine his cause of death.
