BROOKE COUNTY, W.Va. — A cold case in Brooke County is now closed following after a man confessed to his father’s murder.
The state accepted the plea of James Edward Adams Sr., 63, of Chester, Monday. He admitted to murdering his father, Edward Adams in their Wellsburg home on November 27, 1987.
Authorities ruled Adams’ death a suicide, but last November, Brooke County 911 received a call from the son confessing to the murder.
James Adams was taken into custody the day he confessed and was indicted by a Brooke County grand jury in March.
He was sentenced to life in prison without the chance of parole by Judge Jason Cuomo.
There was discussion about what Adams had said about the incident since confessing over the phone. Adams apparently denied committing the crime at one point after being evaluated by a forensic psychiatrist, who deemed him competent to stand trial.
According to WTOV TV, Adams and his attorney, Thomas Kroger, maintained that he committed the crime on Monday. A statement from Kroger said that Adams did not want to go to trial and was frustrated and had maintained that he committed the crime from the beginning.