James Arthur Kinne
BIRTH 5 Jun 1934
Carterville, Jasper County, Missouri, USA
DEATH 19 Mar 1960 (aged 25)
Independence, Jackson County, Missouri, USA
BURIAL
[URL='https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/30605/oak-ridge-memory-gardens']Oak Ridge Memory Gardens
Independence, Jackson County, Missouri, USA
Show Map
PLOT Lot 135, Block A, Grave #3
Murdered Victim. He received notoriety with his widely-published death after being allegedly murdered by his wife, Sharon Kinne. This incident occurred after a long period of domestic discord, with him seeking a divorce from his wife. Born the son of devout Mormon parents, Haggard and Katie Kinne, he attended Brigham Young University before being employed by Bendixx Aviation Corporation in Kansas City, Missouri. For the reason of being a Mormon, he seriously did not want a divorce.
He provided a comfortable home for his wife and two children, but the domestic discord continued. After the divorced process had started, he was killed with a single gunshot wound to his head while he was taking an afternoon nap on March 19, 1960. Initially, his wife stated that her husband had left the gun nearby after cleaning it and one of their children had accidently fired the weapon.
His death was originally ruled accidental, but was later changed to homicide when officials learned his wife had attempted to hire someone to murder him. The man proposed for this deed stepped forward as a witness. The situation became more complexed with another murder.
On May 27, 1960 the body of 23-year-old Patricia Jones was found. His wife apparently was having a love affair with Patricia Jones' husband. At that point, his wife admitted to having been the last person to speak to Jones, and was arrested for her murder.
Upon further investigation, his wife was arrested for his murder. The verdict of these two murder trials was his wife was acquitted for Jones' murder as there was only circumstantial evidence, but after 51/2 hours of deliberation by the jury, his wife was convicted in his murder.
For his murder, his wife was sentenced to life in prison at the Women's reformatory in Tipton, Missouri. Ten months after his death, his wife gave birth to a third child. After a year and a half, his wife's conviction was overturned because of "procedural irregularities," releasing her on bond pending a new trial. A second trial was a mistrial related to selection of a jury as one of the "jurors had once been a client of one of the prosecutor's law partners." The third trial for his murder was declared a second mistrial after a two-day deliberation with an all-male jury being deadlocked seven-to-five in favor of acquittal in this trial. Once again, his wife was released on bond. During the trial, it was revealed by the prosecution that his wife had lied about her age; that she was not a widow as stated on her marriage license, and she had numerous affairs after their marriage. These trials had heavy press coverage.
While on bond, his wife left the United States for Mexico. In a Mexican hotel registered under an alias name, his wife shot in the back and killed a Mexican-born American citizen named Francisco Parades Ordoñez, claiming self-defense. An employee of the hotel was also shot but lived. During the investigation of the Mexican shootings, it was learned that the .22 caliber firearm used to kill Patricia Jones was the same weapon as the one used in the Mexican shootings. His wife was arrested and brought to trial in Mexico, found guilty, sentenced, and after an appeal, to a total of thirteen years in prison in Mexico City.
Once again, his murder was headlines in newspapers. During an electrical blackout at the prison in December of 1969, his wife escaped, remaining at large, and has yet to be found to be tried for his murder. There was some evidence that she escaped to Central or South America. When his wife failed to appear for his murder, a warrant was issued for his wife's arrest in October of 1964, which is still outstanding decades into the 21st century. His wife is being considered a serial killer. His murder and his wife's trials are the subject of the book "I'm Just an Ordinary Girl" by James C. Hays, numerous newspaper and magazine articles, and his murder has been featured on television series including "Unsolved Mysteries."...
LINK:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/7468239/james-arthur-kinne[/URL]
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