Thomas O’ConnorHaralson Gateway-Beacon

A Tallapoosa man was sentenced Monday to life in prison after pleading guilty to two murders.

Jimmy Wayne Wright, 37, was facing six separate charges, including the murders of James William Jackson and Tina Michelle McAdams in Haralson County on March 3, 2005, with a firearm, the commission of a felony aggravated assault with intent to murder on Jackson and McAdams, and aggravated assault with intent to murder on Jackson and McAdams. Wright pleaded guilty to all the charges.

Prosecutors were seeking the death penalty against Wright. Had the case gone to trial, it would have been the first death penalty case in Haralson County in 15 years. The trial was scheduled to start in October 2005, but preparations required for death penalty cases delayed the trial over the past two years.

A second suspect in the slayings, Larry Cash of Tallapoosa, is awaiting trial.

By pleading guilty to all the charges against him, Wright avoided the death penalty and instead received life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, as stipulated by the plea agreement.

Prior to the sentencing, the father of Michelle McAdams, addressed the court and Wright.

“Every day since March 3, I prayed that you would get the death penalty. I still feel you need to get exactly what you gave,” Billy McAdams said. “It is so hard for me to believe that they would give you a choice to live or die when you gave Michelle no choice.”

McAdams said he disagreed with District Attorney Don Wilson’s decision to accept a guilty plea in exchange for avoiding the death penalty. “He’s taken these boys’ father, he’ll never see them graduate or play ball or any of those things,” said Wayne Jackson, James Jackson’s father. “As much as I’d like to see him on death row, maybe he’ll suffer more this way.”

McAdams has three children, Brandon Quesada of Bremen, and Nicki Pollard and Bailey Chatman, both of Buchanan. Jackson has three sons, Chase Jackson and Cain Jackson of Tallapoosa, and Tucker Jackson of Bremen.

Chase Jackson said he thought justice was served, but hoped for a harsher sentence.

Wilson said he chose to accept the guilty plea in exchange for life imprisonment because death penalty cases are extremely lengthy, and it could have been years before the case was finalized and the sentence carried out.

“We feel like it is in the community’s and families’ interests to have closure,” he said. “Now we have an assurance that he will never be out in society again.”

Judge Michael L. Murphy, who presided over the case, asked Wilson to provide a summary of the evidence the prosecution had gathered against Wright.

According to Wilson, the evidence indicates that prior to March 2 there were indications of bad feelings between Wright and Jackson, and Wright made statements to the effect that he wanted to shoot and kill Jackson.

Wilson said that on the night of the slayings, Larry Cash was meeting with Wright near Love’s Convenience Store near Interstate 20 along Waco Road in Waco. At the same time, Jackson, McAdams, and Larry Cash’s cousin, Christopher Cash, were all meeting. According to Wilson, Larry Cash placed a phone call feigning car trouble, requesting that Jackson come help.

Wilson said that Jackson, Chris Cash and McAdams went in Jackson’s Ford Bronco to Waco Road to help Larry Cash. The three arrived and saw Larry Cash’s car on the side of Waco Road with the car’s hood open. Jackson parked his truck next to Cash’s.

Wilson said that evidence indicated that Jackson got out of his truck, while Chris Cash and McAdams stayed in the truck. Chris Cash noticed a figure emerging from the woods on the side of the road whom he identified as Wright. According to Wilson, Chris Cash saw Wright place a single-barrel, sawed-off shotgun to the back of Jackson’s neck, then firing and killing him.

Wilson said Jackson died instantly and was later found where he was shot. Chris Cash and Larry Cash ran across the street to hide in a field, then heard two gunshots, with time between the second and third shot.

Wilson said that after the shots, Wright entered the field and called out to Larry Cash, but instead came upon Chris Cash. Larry Cash met up with Wright, and the three men left in Larry Cash’s car. According to Wilson, Larry Cash drove while Wright sat in the passenger seat and pointed his shotgun at Chris Cash who was sitting in the back seat. Wright reportedly warned Cash against reporting the crimes.

According to Wilson, Chris Cash was eventually returned to his home and then used a neighbor’s telephone to call police and report a double homicide.

Police found Jackson dead on Waco Road. McAdams was still alive, but died en route to Higgins General Hospital.

Wilson said police found shotgun shells matching those found at the crime scene within 300 yards of Wright’s home.

“It is hard for me to comprehend how you could have thought to do what you did,” Murphy said. “I hope you have terrible regrets.”

In April 2006, Larry Cash’s home was burned, and arson was suspected.

According to Wilson, it is unclear when Larry Cash’s trial will begin. He is also facing the death penalty.