His Wife Left Him. James Harrison Murdered All Five of Their Children.

 

James Harrison Murdered His Five Children After His Wife Left Him

Maxine was 16.

Samantha was 15.

Jamie was 11.

Heather was 8.

James was 7.

Five children. Five entire futures.

On April 4, 2009, sheriff’s deputies entered the Harrison family’s mobile home in Graham, Washington, and found all five children dead.

Their father, James Harrison, had shot them.

Investigators determined that Harrison killed each child before driving away. Four were found in their beds. The fifth was found on the bathroom floor.

Authorities said the murders came amid the collapse of Harrison’s marriage. His wife, Angela, had recently told him she was leaving him after years of marital problems.

Harrison responded by murdering their children.

After the killings, he drove north. Police later found him inside his vehicle near the Muckleshoot Casino. He had killed himself.

There would be no trial.

No prison sentence.

No courtroom where five murder convictions could be read aloud.

But there should also be no confusion about whose lives were stolen.

A marriage ending is not justification for murder. A spouse leaving does not make children collateral damage. Children are not possessions to destroy because someone else chooses to leave.

Maxine. Samantha. Jamie. Heather. James.

Their father made the decision that ended their lives.

They deserve to be remembered as more than the five children he killed.