Man Found Guilty of Murder Despite Missing Body, Weapon

One Willie James Jr. has been found guilty of the presumed murder of victim Andrew Watson II. 

A Jury at an Ingham County Circuit Court jury found James guilty of the crime, despite the lack of definitive evidence, such as the murder weapon or Watson’s body. However, the victim’s blood was discovered in the presumed murderer’s car. 

James Was Incarcerated in the Wake of Watson’s Disappearance Due to Probabtion 

Watson originally disappeared in January 2021 after he left his girlfriend’s house with around $10,000 – $15,000 in cash and was heading over to James’ to play a game of poker.

While nobody was found, police were able to initiate a stop on the then-suspect and found that a section of carpet was missing from his floor SUV, and that he had a large amount of money.

Police searched the vehicle and were able to discover blood, which proved to be Watson’s. Police also identified a presumed bullet hole in the frame of the door. 

Later on in March, three cell phones belonging to Watson, as well as a pair of rubber globes and half a $20 bill, were also recovered, which once again carried traces of Watson’s blood. 

Despite the lack of a murder weapon and the body itself, James was found guilty by the jurors, especially given the fact that he was already out on parole when the events took place. Following his arrest, he was reincarcerated.

Jury Didn’t Take Much Convincing, Faced with the Bizarre Story

For his part, James denied ever killing Watson and insisted that his son had used the vehicle that night. He went so far as to argue that someone with his son ended up killing a person in the vehicle, and that the body was later put in a dumpster.

Willie James III is also serving a prison sentence and will spend decades behind bars for an unrelated murder conviction.

The jurors were finally convinced that Watson had disappeared because of his association with James, and that James’ car was the place of murder, or at least the means of transportation, placing the man himself as the most likely perpetrator.

Judge Rosemarie Aquilina scheduled sentencing for April 15, 2026.