MT - James Hurley, 12, tortured to death, W. Yellowstone, Feb 2020 grandparents & uncle arrested #1

[MimosaMornings]

The so called “grandfather” wanted to leave after Alex was killed. Why not leave when the torture started? Or call the police on your crappy wife and bully son? What a load of cr@p.

 

[Dave F.]

I guess there are no articles on "when" their arraignments will be?

@Songbird1973 - do you have birth date for James Jr & James III? TIA if you do!

June 6, 1972 - Harris County, Texas and 2005-2006. The State of Texas does not release birth information more recent than 18 full years back. IMO

 

[NuttMegg]

Judge to consider trying 14-year-old as adult for West Yellowstone boy's death

Hearing on March 5th regarding James Sasser iii, determination regarding status as "adult".

More information in this article, regarding James Sasser jr, "Grandfather", who wanted to leave the house, as he was afraid if anyone found out how JH was treated, the six year old would be taken away.

I was just about to post that, you beat me to it.
More from that link
"Sasser III told detectives that he would tackle and beat up Alex for standing over Batts with a knife while she slept. In a later interview, police said in charging documents, Sasser III admitted he lied about Alex standing over Batts with a knife."

"Sasser III told detectives that Alex was always misbehaving and “messed up” his family, but said he only saw Alex misbehave on a few occasions and that Batts told him about another instance."

"The uncle said he and Batts took turns being duct-taped to Alex to keep him from running away at night, police said. They put saran wrap between the duct-tape and their arms, but Sasser III said they put the duct-tape directly on Alex’s skin, court documents say."

"The 18-year-old aunt told detectives that a fight started either Saturday night or early Sunday morning when Sasser III touched a heater while he and Alex were being duct-taped together. Sasser III became angry, she said, and kicked or punched Alex approximately five times in the head while he was on the ground in a fetal position.

She said Sasser III also hit Alex’s head into the wall so hard it dented it, and that Alex’s grandparents were around when that happened."

I wonder what "else" is going to be revealed. The grandparents wanted to "leave" the house with James? Like dump him somewhere?

 

[Trudie]

One thing regarding uncle, a juvenile detention center is generally much stricter than a county jail. I suspect uncle is learning that he’s not “large & in charge”, yeah....maybe the “large” is covered. He’s going to be in detention for a long time. He will have a very structured schedule, imo. He will get up very early, complete assigned chores, have school/study for a big part of the day, more work & lights out early. No phone, little TV or recreation. The fridge will be locked, not literally but he won’t have access to all he wants to eat. By time he gets to court, he will be a slimmer version of evil, imo.
I think he’s been in detention long enough now to know what it feels like to be bullied. I don’t think any of the staff will take any crap from him! The most delicious part is that he has no one to complain to. He can’t call his mom!
He can’t call his dad. I doubt his siblings care. All moo.

 

[Trudie]

Sasser III admitted he lied about Alex standing over Batts with a knife."

I bet uncle lied about a lot. Uncle is in serious need of help, I hope he is never free, I would not want him for a neighbor.

 

[Trudie]

Judge to consider trying 14-year-old as adult for West Yellowstone boy's death

Hearing on March 5th regarding James Sasser iii, determination regarding status as "adult".

More information in this article, regarding James Sasser jr, "Grandfather", who wanted to leave the house, as he was afraid if anyone found out how JH was treated, the six year old would be taken away.

@mickey2942 I’m behind a paywall, can you post the info about gramps wanting to leave. Wow. I bet James wanted to leave.

anyone figure out where the grands worked?

 

[NuttMegg]

One thing regarding uncle, a juvenile detention center is generally much stricter than a county jail. I suspect uncle is learning that he’s not “large & in charge”, yeah....maybe the “large” is covered. He’s going to be in detention for a long time. He will have a very structured schedule, imo. He will get up very early, complete assigned chores, have school/study for a big part of the day, more work & lights out early. No phone, little TV or recreation. The fridge will be locked, not literally but he won’t have access to all he wants to eat. By time he gets to court, he will be a slimmer version of evil, imo.
I think he’s been in detention long enough now to know what it feels like to be bullied. I don’t think any of the staff will take any crap from him! The most delicious part is that he has no one to complain to. He can’t call his mom!
He can’t call his dad. I doubt his siblings care. All moo.

The six year old is too young to help him, and the 18 year old already reported on him, big time. Mommy and Daddy dearest are in jail. Normally I might feel badly for a 14 year old...but this person is a freak. IMO

 

[NuttMegg]

@mickey2942 I’m behind a paywall, can you post the info about gramps wanting to leave. Wow. I bet James wanted to leave.

anyone figure out where the grands worked?

They duct taped James to either Batts (Grandma) or the 14 year old, so that he couldn't run away. They put saran wrap underneath their own duct tape cuffs, but duct taped directly to the skin of James.
They turned his bedroom into a family entertainment center and made him sleep on the couch. However several family members mentioned his sleeping on the floor, or "behind the couch".

"Sasser III told detectives that early in the morning of Feb. 1, Alex tried to escape from “behind the couch,” and that Batts lost her temper, court documents say. He and Alex wrestled a bit, and Sasser III said he hit Alex three or four times and made him cry.

He said Alex “started acting weird” after the “pretty bad fight,” but Batts told him it was likely because Alex had consumed alcohol, court documents say.

On Super Bowl Sunday, the day before Alex was found dead, Sasser III said he hit Alex with the wooden paddle once while watching the game. Sasser III said the paddle broke, but denied that it broke because of the hit.

The 18-year-old aunt told detectives that a fight started either Saturday night or early Sunday morning when Sasser III touched a heater while he and Alex were being duct-taped together. Sasser III became angry, she said, and kicked or punched Alex approximately five times in the head while he was on the ground in a fetal position.

She said Sasser III also hit Alex’s head into the wall so hard it dented it, and that Alex’s grandparents were around when that happened. The aunt said Alex had memory loss, was disoriented — similar to how she acted after a car accident — and that she and Sasser Jr. conducted concussion tests on Alex." BBM
Judge to consider trying 14-year-old as adult for West Yellowstone boy's death

 

[Trudie]

and that she and Sasser Jr. conducted concussion tests on Alex."

How helpful of them. I’m sure aunt & uncle are well versed in TBI & all aspects of head injury. The entire family sounds deranged.

 

[Trudie]

I hope uncle misbehaves in juvie & gets to spend a good part of each day locked in his cell alone. Let him punch concrete walls. I’m guessing this is the first time in 14 years he’s not running the show & it will take some time for him to conform. Due to the nature of his charges, I highly doubt he’s allowed to socialize with other children. Imo, anyone within reach risks being his next nephew. Moo

 

[Songbird1973]

When was the last time his mother actually saw James? Or any of his other many loved ones in his family? Was she physically prevented from seeing her son when she went to see him?

James' step-grandfather, JS seems to have been the only one in the family to have relatives in the West Yellowstone area. JH's family seems to have mostly been in the Houston, TX area. So while it wuoldn't excuse a mother from trying to get her son back, they were over 1,700 miles apart.

 

[neesaki]

As a genealogist, I too have tried to unravel James's family members without much success. I ABSOLUTELY can't find any death record for his father, except for a deactivated go****me page in his name. I can only read a few words of the "Story" in the description of the google search result, which is for a link on a local (West Yellowstone, MT) FB page. The actual Go****me page has no info on it anymore. Perhaps someone knows how to open an archived copy of a page like you used to be able to do, so we could read the whole "Story." The text I was able to read said: Tommy Tate Passed away unexpectedly January 2, 2018. Leaving behind a 10 year old son, family and friends. In 2014 Tommy was in a horrific 4 wheeler that left him paralyzed...

I did locate information on the suspects. Patricia Lynn Batts was born Sep 13, 1971. She had a child, James's father, at 16, on March 17, 1988 in Houston.

In 1992 she married in Houston and took the name Patricia Rone. This marriage was dissolved on Aug 17, 2005. Two children were involved, but it doesn't specify whether they are hers, his, or thiers.

On May 20, 2006, Patricia married James D. Sasser, Jr. in Liberty, TX. So the 14 yr old son (accused suspect) was likely born that same year. The 18 yr old (that PB claimed was hers and James's, at least she said they had three children together) would have been born when James and Patricia were each married to a previous spouse.

Re bolded, only $145.00 raised.... sad, like almost nothing. Wonder why it was deactivated so soon. As you, I can find nothing on his death either. Also on family’s FB pages, that particular time period seems for the most part mysteriously absent.... or just not mentioned at all..... jumping from a year or three earlier to more recent times. Strange things, IMO, what’s up with these people. I also have an account on Been Verified and no TT in his age range or in West Yellowstone comes up there either.

 

[Luckyzmom]

Thank you @Songbird1973 ! Thanks all. The more info the better the digging . Appreciate you all . This young man's death makes me sick and so angry. Praying for his Momma

 

[Songbird1973]

Re bolded, only $145.00 raised.... sad, like almost nothing. Wonder why it was deactivated so soon. As you, I can find nothing on his death either. Also on family’s FB pages, that particular time period seems for the most part mysteriously absent.... or just not mentioned at all..... jumping from a year or three earlier to more recent times. Strange things, IMO, what’s up with these people. I also have an account on Been Verified and no TT in his age range or in West Yellowstone comes up there either.

I did just discover that the reason I haven't been able to find a Social Security death notice is that those records are not (easily) available after 2014. News to me, as I'm not usually researching people in the 21st century. And if the local papers are small, there may not be an obit online, but I too, noticed the absence of (public) Social Media posts among his friends and family around that time.

 

[Luckyzmom]

Dad of James paralyzed in 2014, passed 2018 at this home I wonder. Frightening to think about. Hope he had outside caregivers :'( just unbelievably sad. Thanks

 

[neesaki]

Dad of James paralyzed in 2014, passed 2018 at this home I wonder. Frightening to think about. Hope he had outside caregivers :'( just unbelievably sad. Thanks

The post from PBatts/Sasser's FB had stated he had been, I believe, careflighted to Salt Lake hospital. Not sure if that's where he died though.

 

[MimosaMornings]

Judge to consider trying 14-year-old as adult for West Yellowstone boy's death


“After the incident, the aunt told detectives, she and Sasser Jr. messaged each other that they wanted to leave the house with the 6-year-old boy. The aunt said Alex’s grandfather was concerned that his 6-year-old son would be taken away if anyone found out how the family treated Alex, court documents say.”

 

[Songbird1973]

Dad of James paralyzed in 2014, passed 2018 at this home I wonder. Frightening to think about. Hope he had outside caregivers :'( just unbelievably sad. Thanks

Just for the record, I personally wasn't thinking that there was anything suspicious with Tommy's death. I had just begun to wonder, based on the lack of information in Tommy's name (death record, online obituary,, etc) whether that was his real name. I also wondered momentarily if perhaps the story told by PB/S that Tommy died was a lie. But I am satisfied from all I have found that he did die, I believe he was being well cared for in a hospital at the time, and the only noteworthy thing is that his extended family (in TX) didn't make public FB posts about his death, and many show noticeably less public activity in general around that time and afterwards.

It wouldn't be strange for an ATV accident to cause paralysis and/or loss of limbs. And both of these conditions leave a person very susceptible to very severe infections and possible death.

 

[MimosaMornings]

Perhaps Darrell was the middle name.

 

[MimosaMornings]

DBM