Naman Shrestha
The untimely demise of Molly Watson in April 2018, just a couple of days before her big wedding day, took the entire community and her family by shock. The immediate investigation into the case unraveled a web of lies weaved by her fiancé, James Addie, who led a double life and turned out to be Molly’s perpetrator. In ABC’s ’20/20: I Now Pronounce You Dead’ and the special episode of ’20/20′ titled ‘Bad Romance: Love You to Death,’ the focus is on the chilling murder case of the bride-to-be and the investigation that led the detectives straight to her soon-to-be husband.
James Addie Resorted to Murder Allegedly to Keep his Double Life a Secret
Born on the Fourth of July, James Aaron Addie was a part of the Marine Corps during Operation Desert Storm, after which he got out of the military. He then reportedly worked as a mechanic and at a factory before landing a job at the Moberly Area Correctional Center in Moberly, Missouri. Moving up the ranks, he eventually held the position of a Lieutenant at the prison. At the time, he was married to his fourth wife, Melanie Addie, with whom he shared two children — Ben and Emma Addie. When cracks began to appear in their marriage, James reportedly focused his attention on a corrections officer at the prison — Molly Nicole Watson. The co-workers began dating, with Molly being “absolutely, 100% in love” with him.
Somehow, James managed to lead a double life for the next seven years as he maintained his marriage to Melanie and his relationship with Molly. He then popped the question to Molly and began planning for their wedding, scheduled for April 2018. Molly’s brother claimed that James “put off bad vibes to everybody.” He elaborated, “He could never look you in the eye. He could never talk to you directly. Everything was very evasive with him.” With the day of the wedding approaching, he made up a lie about divorcing Melanie six months earlier and her being involved in a fatal car accident. He used her fake death as an excuse to postpone wedding preparation meetings.
On the fateful night of April 27, 2018, reports suggest that James had called up Molly and convinced her to meet him at a secluded Monroe County Road. According to the phone records, the two were on call with each other during their drive. When they met at the site, James reportedly pulled out his gun and shot his soon-to-be wife in the back of her head, probably because she became aware of his marriage. After her remains were discovered and identified, the authorities visited James’ house to inform him about Molly’s demise, only to find out about his chilling lies and the double life he had been leading. Later that night, he was arrested and charged with first-degree murder of Molly Watson. Following his arrest, Melanie divorced him after 23 years of marriage.
James Addie is Incarcerated at a Missouri Prison Facility
Three years later, in April 2021, James Addie’s trial commenced in Jefferson City, Missouri. Besides presenting witness testimonies against the defendant, the prosecution also presented a series of evidence, including the tire prints found at the crime scene matching one of the tires of his car. They even focused on a bloody t-shirt that one of the officers had found near the crime scene. It was made for one of the class projects of his daughter, Emma, who had given it to him later. She and Melanie also testified against the accused. On April 29, 2021, the jury deliberated for two and a half hours and found him guilty of first-degree murder in the murder of Molly Watson and armed criminal action.
A couple of months later, on July 12, James Addie was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole and ten additional years. After the sentencing, the convict took the stand and read out a love letter he had prepared for Molly, expressing his love for her and how much he missed her. He also maintained his innocence and asked for a new trial, claiming that his defense counsel was ineffective and failed to present the necessary evidence to support his case. James also tried to pin the blame on one of Molly’s former lovers, who allegedly had been stalking her as the wedding date approached.
James’ appeals lawyer also highlighted the defense lawyer’s incompetence and ineffectiveness during the trial. However, in late November 2022, the appeals court denied the killer’s request to overturn his conviction and upheld the murder verdict for the former Missouri prison guard. Still working to appeal his conviction, James Addie is seemingly held up at a Missouri prison facility as of today, serving his life imprisonment sentence.
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