GUILTY TX - James Junkins, 21, found murdered, Wharton County, 16 Feb 2005

I've tried to organise the sequence of events and outline the 5 suspects in the death of this young man:


James Junkins, 21, found in February 2005 in a ditch Southwest of Houston Texas.

In June of 2005 Edward Bachelder, 22, a homeless man, went to police in Portland, Maine to turn himself in, and to say he had witnessed the killing of his travelling companion.

That is when authorities in Maine, checked with authorities in Texas, and identified James Junkins and found out he was from Biddeford, Maine.

In June 2005, Athena Grandy, 23, of Lakeland, Florida, was arrested and is held on a $500,000 bond. Her trial in the death of James Junkins is about to start on February 27, 2006.

Edward Bachelder was charged with Capital Murder, and is awaiting trial.
Sean Flanders, 22, of Lakeland, Florida is also charged.
Both are being held on $1 Million Bond, in the Wharton County Jail.

Tasha Kersey, 22, of Lakeland, Florida &
David Anthony Theriot, 27, of Lexington, Kentucky
Both have pleaded guilty to murder in December 2005, as a result of a plea bargain, both have been given a 40 year sentence.

There was no comment regarding the two convicted people testifying at the upcoming trials.

Read article here:
http://www.wftv.com/news/5995327/detail.html

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Does anyone have a link to more background on this case? The suspects are all from different places, and so is the victim. Also, what did they do to him to get a 40 yr sentence on a plea bargain?

A Lakeland woman has pleaded guilty to murder and two other former Lakeland residents face murder charges in the slaying of a Maine man who was found dead along a rural South Texas road.

Tasha Kersey, 22, of Lakeland, one of five suspects in the slaying, pleaded guilty to murder in December as part of a plea bargain. She received a 40-year prison sentence.

Athena Gandy, 23, of Lakeland, who was arrested in June and is being held in the Wharton County Jail on $500,000 bail, also is accused in the death of 21-yearold James Junkins, of Biddeford, Maine.

Gandy is set to go on trial Feb. 27.

Gandy's trial is one of a possible three trials still pending in Junkin's death, Wharton County District Attorney Josh McCown said this week.

Also awaiting trial for capital murder is Sean Flanders, 22, of Lakeland, who is being held in Wharton County Jail on $1 million bail.
http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060112/NEWS/601120392/1004

This says all the suspects are either residents of Lakeland or former residents of Lakeland. And the victim and his traveling companion were from Maine. I guess they met up in Texas?

Yes Mysteriew I found the same info, over and over again.... any info on the background, as in what exactly did they all do??????

PonderingThings said:

Yes Mysteriew I found the same info, over and over again.... any info on the background, as in what exactly did they all do??????

Click to expand...

Current articles don't seem to have any details about the death as far as I have found. Just that his body was unidentified for several months after he was found.
One thing I would have to question though. Junkins was killed in Texas. His traveling companion went to Maine to make a report, and the way it was worded was that he turned himself in. And it was only after that, that Junkins body was identified. So why did he "turn himself in"?

I mentioned that in my original post. He turned himself in because he was involved in the murder and has been charged. He's being held on $1 Million dollars bond.

5 Suspects. All with high bond or long sentences (40 years!). WHAT did they do to this guy????? I know Texas is tough on crime.... but?????

By the way - further clarification - both Jenkins and Bachelder are from Maine, and were travelling together.

Bachelder turned himself in to the Maine authorities because he had made his way back to home turf.

PonderingThings said:

Yes Mysteriew I found the same info, over and over again.... any info on the background, as in what exactly did they all do??????

Click to expand...

all i could find...
http://www.dallasnews.com//sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D8B1BPI00.html
http://www.boston.com/news/local/maine/articles/2005/06/29/prosecutor_may_seek_death_penalty_in_slaying_of_biddeford_man/

Thank you Crymezero! Your links provided a little more information.

They stabbed him. The motive appears to be robbery. They then either killed him outright, or just left him to die in the ditch (they don't really clarify this part).

I'm wondering if they drew the 40 year sentence because they tortured him to find out where the money (or item of value) was? I realise murder is murder... but somehow I think there has to be much more to this story than we are being told.

PonderingThings said:

Thank you Crymezero! Your links provided a little more information.

They stabbed him. The motive appears to be robbery. They then either killed him outright, or just left him to die in the ditch (they don't really clarify this part).

I'm wondering if they drew the 40 year sentence because they tortured him to find out where the money (or item of value) was? I realise murder is murder... but somehow I think there has to be much more to this story than we are being told.

Click to expand...

But if the motive was robbery, what would be the connection between the 4 strangers and the traveling companion? Why wasn't he stabbed, and robbed and left to die also?

Since the travelling companion is also charged with murder, and is being held on $1 MILLION bond, it sounds like he didn't just "help", he participated in the murder.

Total speculation on my part, but lets say he recruited the other people because he thought/was told that James had money, or some valuable item, hidden in the area?

He then proceeded to partake in the killing of James as well?

Don't know... that's why I was asking for more info.

Per Texas DOC, Bachelder is serving 20 years for aggravated kidnapping:

http://offender.tdcj.state.tx.us/OffenderSearch/offenderDetail.action?sid=07537862

Athenda Gandy got 35 years for aggravated kidnapping:

http://offender.tdcj.state.tx.us/OffenderSearch/offenderDetail.action?sid=07541254

Couldn't find anything on Sean Flanders.