From James Gant’s appeal: On January 24, 1977, James Edward Norman, one of the assault victims, shared an apartment in Columbia, Missouri, with Breanda Marie Hendren, age 16, the homicide victim. Norman was an admitted dealer in marijuana in the Columbia, Missouri, area. Kathy Spry, the other assault victim, was visiting the couple in the living room of their shared apartment at approximately 10:30 A.M. on the morning of January 24, 1977, when two black males were admitted into the living room under the ruse of wanting to purchase some marijuana. The shorter of the two black males, identified by Norman at a lineup and during trial as the defendant, asked Norman if he had a “quarter-pound of marijuana for sale”. Norman replied that he only had “bags” of marijuana for sale and proceeded to the bedroom of the apartment where he kept his illicit “stock-in-trade”. Defendant followed Norman into the bedroom, “pulled a gun” and pointed it at Norman and demanded that he lie on the floor. Norman complied and while in a prone position was incessantly asked by defendant “where the rest of the money and the rest of the dope was.” Norman replied that all he had was marijuana and such money as was in his billfold. Defendant took Norman’s billfold containing $175.00 in currency and several “bags” of marijuana which Norman had cached in the bedroom.
Norman described the gun defendant pulled on him as “long-barreled” and “bronze copper colored”. Defendant, insisting that Norman had more “pot and money”, struck Norman on the head with the gun and then ordered his companion (Keith L. Matthews), who was in the living room, to ” those bitches in here”. Shortly thereafter Breanda Marie Hendren and Matthews entered the bedroom whereupon defendant asked Breanda Marie Hendren where the rest of the “stuff” was. She replied that there was nothing else. Matthews was unarmed. Defendant then shot Norman in the neck, from which wound Norman recovered. Norman heard several more shots, and the next thing he was aware of was seeing Breanda Marie Hendren lying on the floor of the bedroom and Kathy Spry lying on the floor of the doorway between the bedroom and the living room of the apartment. Medical testimony introduced by the state disclosed that Breanda Marie Hendren was shot in the mouth and head, the latter shot causing her death. According to Norman, defendant was the shorter of the two black males who entered the apartment.
Kathy Spry, the other assault victim, after hearing Norman yell ” ahead and shoot me . . . I don’t have the money”, heard several shots and then saw Norman and Breanda Marie Hendren lying on the floor of the bedroom. As the two black males ran from the apartment, the shorter of the two who had the gun shot Kathy Spry in the left cheek and head from which wounds she later recovered. Kathy Spry was unable to pisitively identify defendant as the man who shot her.
Various witnesses testified without objection that “immediately” before January 24, 1977, defendant had been seen flourishing a “long-barreled pistol”, and on the morning of January 24, 1977, before leaving the apartment where he lived in Columbia, Missouri, there were two “boxes of bullets” (which were offered and admitted into evidence without objection) at the head of the bed which he occupied in the apartment. A co-occupant of defendant’s apartment testified that on the morning of January 24, 1977, she heard defendant say to his accomplice (Keith L. Matthews), “[let's] go make the fast money”, and later that day saw defendant spreading marijuana out on the floor of his apartment and observed at that time that he had a pistol and a large amount of money.
Keith L. Matthews, defendant’s accomplice and the taller of the two black males who entered the apartment on the fateful morning in question, was called as a witness by the state. He testified that on the morning of January 23, 1977, defendant asked him to come to his apartment the following morning because he “wanted to knock off some dope and some money”. Matthews complied and arrived at defendant’s apartment between 9:00 and 9:30 o’clock on the morning of January 24, 1977. Matthews testified that he had previously seen defendant with a “.22 long barrel chromed, brown-handled” revolver in his possession. Matthews and defendant left the latter’s apartment at approximately 9:30 on the morning of January 24, 1977, and proceeded on foot to the apartment occupied by Norman and Breanda Marie Hendren. Upon passing a police car on the way over to the scene of the crimes, defendant asked Matthews if he could see his “pistol” and Matthews replied that he could. Thereupon, defendant shifted the pistol from his left side “back towards the back”.
Upon entering the victim’s apartment, Matthews stayed in the living room while Norman and defendant proceeded into the bedroom. Hearing a “commotion” and “loud voices”, Matthews went into the bedroom where he observed defendant pointing a pistol at Norman who was lying on the floor at the time. On orders from defendant, Matthews placed the money and marijuana taken from Norman into a “brown grocery sack” which the pair had brought with them. Matthews had the “brown grocery sack” and its contents in his possession when he later fled from the apartment. Matthews preceded defendant out of the apartment. Before fleeing the apartment Matthews observed defendant strike Norman on the head with his pistol and fire two shots into Norman. According to Matthews, defendant then grabbed the girl who was in the bedroom (Breanda Marie Hendren) by the hair and put the pistol “up to her cheek” and shot her. As Matthews was fleeing the apartment he heard several more shots after running past the other assault victim (Kathy Spry), although he did not actually see her shot. Defendant caught up with Matthews and placed the “pistol” in the “brown grocery sack” which Matthews was carrying. As he did so, he told Matthews, “I had to kill all of them . . . Sam [?] said don’t leave no witnesses”. When the two arrived back at defendant’s apartment, defendant dumped all of the “stuff” in the “brown grocery sack” onto the floor and gave Matthews two bags of marijuana.
After 35 years, a teenage girl’s family was shocked to learn her killer is free (EXCELLENT article)
State of Missouri v James B. Gant 1979
INMATE INFORMATION
DOC Id 32972
Offender Name James B Gant
Race Black
Sex Male
Date of Birth 05/02/1956
Height/Weight 5’6″ / 145
Hair/Eyes Black /Brown
Assigned Location District 04C Probation & Parole
Address 3111 Swope Parkway, Kansas City, MO 64130
Assigned Officer Selita White-Watson Phone Number (816) 889-3322
Sentence Summary Life {(life, 5cc) 99, 99 CS}
Active Offenses MURDER 1ST DEGREE;ASSAULT(2 CTS)
Completed Offenses ARMED CRIMINAL ACTION
Aliases James B Gant; James B Gant
