LACOMBE, La. (WGNO) — 37-year-old Patrick “Paris” McCarty has been found guilty of murdering 36-year-old Joshua James in 2022 after a St. Tammany Parish jury deliberated for less than an hour on Friday, July 12.
According to District Attorney Collin Sims, the ruling comes as the result of a five-day trial, prosecuted by assistant district attorneys Christina Fisher and Iain Dover, which involved large amounts of proposed evidence and the witness testimony of more than 20 individuals.
Information offered during the trial reportedly established that, on the morning of June 14, 2022, deputies in Santa Rosa County, Florida, were dispatched in regard to a body seen floating in Jake’s Bayou.
The body, later identified as that of Joshua James, showed clear signs of foul play. James had one hand tied behind his back, a white fur rug wrapped around him, bruises all over his body and marks from being bound.
James’ identification allowed investigators to determine not only that he was a resident of Lacombe, but also that he owned a Kia Optima. Using the Automated License Plate Recognition national database, it was discovered that, on the night before the victim’s body had been found, his Optima had been seen once around 8 p.m. near Mobile, Alabama, on Interstate 10 traveling toward Florida, and again around midnight in Mobile, this time traveling westbound on I-10, back toward Louisiana.
Santa Rosa County detectives sought assistance from the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office as they focused their investigation on McCarty and his boyfriend, who were known to live in Lacombe.
Using deputy bodycam footage obtained during a visit to McCarty’s residence for a non-criminal matter several months prior, it was noticed that one of the rooms had a white fur rug that looked like the rug found on James’ body. After learning this, a search warrant was performed by the STPSO, revealing that the rug was missing and blood spatter was present in multiple areas around the home.
McCarty also reportedly had two handguns in his bedroom, which he was prohibited from owning due to an earlier 2018 conviction for aggravated second degree battery.
When questioned, McCarty acknowledged that he and his boyfriend had recently fought the victim, but claimed that they didn’t kill him and that McCarty, his boyfriend and the victim all took a trip to Florida afterward in James’ Optima. McCarty went on to claim that he fell asleep during the trip and awoke in Florida to find that James was no longer with them.
Witness testimony produced during the trial, however, claimed that the victim was severely beaten by McCarty at the Lacombe residence and died shortly after the beating had stopped. After realizing he was dead, McCarty and his boyfriend reportedly wrapped James in the white rug, put him into the trunk of the Optima and drove to Florida after throwing the victim’s phone out of the car at his house to make it appear as though James had gone home.
Once in Florida, McCarty and his boyfriend reportedly threw the victim’s body off a bridge and into a canal.
During the investigation, detectives learned that on the day before the murder had taken place, McCarty, accompanied by James, attempted to have his name added to the victim’s bank account, which held a large amount of money. The bank refused the request because James appeared to be intoxicated at the time.
Prosecutors argued for McCarty to be charged with second-degree murder rather than manslaughter due to security camera footage from a Mobile gas station which showed McCarty and his boyfriend demonstrating what Fisher described as “callous” and “unaffected” behavior while on their way to Florida shortly after James had been killed.
McCarty was found guilty on all charges, which consist of the following:
- One count of second-degree murder.
- One count of obstruction of justice.
- Two counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Second-degree murder carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison. McCarty’s sentencing is scheduled to take place on Aug. 14.
Stay up to date with the latest news, weather and sports by downloading the WGNO app on the Apple or Google Play stores and by subscribing to the WGNO newsletter.