Episode 118: James Soares Jr.
60-year-old James Sr. and 53-year-old Marian Soares
On July 15th, 2008, 60-year-old James Soares and his wife, 53-year-old Marian Soares of Warren, Rhode Island were reported missing when they didn’t attend a family reunion. When they failed to make it to the reunion their family immediately knew something was wrong, especially as Marian had been so excited to see her family and printed out over 100 copies of their family tree.
Police went to their home at 14 Baltimore Ave. that night and the couple’s son, 24-year-old James Soares, Jr., answered the door. He informed police that there wasn’t any issue and his mom had gone to visit some friends. Police thought that this was odd as Marian’s credit cards and cell phone were still at the home. James’s story changed multiple times, telling investigators on one occasion that his dad was cheating on his mom and went to be with his girlfriend, and telling them another time that his dad murdered his mom but that he was unsure of their whereabouts.
This continued until July 25th, when James Jr. told police that he put his parent’s bodies in the cesspool in their backyard. Investigators used a backhoe to find the bodies where James Jr. said they would be, along with a grub hoe that was determined to be the murder weapon. Disturbingly, on more than one occasion law enforcement noticed James Jr. and his girlfriend Nicole Pacheco enjoying a meal at the table they placed directly above the cesspool as police were searching the home.
James Jr. struggled with substance abuse and had a history of stealing from his parents for money for drugs. He and his girlfriend had made multiple large purchases using his parent’s credit cards after they were murdered, some of which included a laptop, a flatscreen TV, a PlayStation and a Wii.
On April 28th, 2010, James Soares Jr. plead guilty to the first-degree murder of James and Marian Soares, disposing of their bodies, and failing to report their deaths. He also plead guilty to using their credit cards.
In addition to receiving two life sentences for first-degree murder, James Jr. received concurrent terms for failing to report the deaths and the illegal credit card use. He will be eligible for parole in 40 years from his sentencing.
Image sources:
murderpedia.org - “James A. Soares Jr.”