He was a bright, well-liked 15-year-old involved in his church youth group. On August 5, 1967, he shot his entire family to death in their Texas home.
The Wolcott Family
The Wolcotts were a respected family in Georgetown, Texas, a small town of around 5,000 people at the time. Gordon B. Wolcott was a professor at Southwestern University; his wife, Elizabeth, and their 17-year-old daughter and 15-year-old son, James Gordon Wolcott, rounded out the household. James was known as a strong student involved in his church youth group and local peace activities.
The Murders
On August 5, 1967, all three of James's family members were found shot to death in their home with a .22-caliber rifle. James confessed shortly after being taken into custody, citing family conflict and his own escalating frustration.
A Landmark Trial
James Wolcott became the first juvenile in Williamson County, Texas, history to be tried as an adult. The trial, lasting more than six months, heard testimony that Wolcott had been experiencing paranoid delusions at the time of the killings and had expressed suicidal thoughts in the months prior; prosecutors, defense attorneys, and court-appointed psychiatrists were unanimous that mental illness played a central role in the crime. On February 2, 1968, the jury found him not guilty by reason of insanity, and he was committed to Rusk State Hospital.
Release and a New Identity
Wolcott remained at Rusk State Hospital until 1974, when a court found him mentally stable and ordered his release. He briefly enrolled at Stephen F. Austin University before legally changing his name and disappearing from public view. Under his new identity, James St. James, he earned a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Illinois and became a professor at Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois, where he taught for more than 30 years.
A Story That Became Public
Decades later, journalists uncovered and reported on St. James' original identity and the crimes of his youth. Millikin University publicly stood by him following the disclosure, citing his decades of professional accomplishment and the court's original finding regarding his mental state at the time of the killings.
FAQ
Why wasn't James Gordon Wolcott sent to prison?
He was found not guilty by reason of insanity after psychiatric evaluations concluded he was experiencing significant mental illness at the time of the murders.
What did James Gordon Wolcott do after his release?
He changed his legal name to James St. James, earned a Ph.D. in psychology, and became a university professor.
How did his past become public?
Journalists later uncovered and reported on his original identity and the 1967 murders decades after his release.