FRESNO, CA (KMJ) – A 49-year-old man from Tulare County is denied parole for the murder of his mother.
On May 1, 1998, James Ray Kelley was 28 at the time, when he went with his 66-year-old mother to a local store to cash her $600 Social Security check.
When they returned to their shared home, near Waukena, Kelley lured her to a bedroom a strangled her to death with his hands.
In an effort to conceal her body, Kelley placed her in large garbage bags, sealed the bags shut with duct tape and hid her under the bed.
Kelley later called 911 and confessed to the crime, and told them where her body was located at the home.
Tulare County Sheriff’s deputies took him into custody at a convenience store where he had called 911.
Investigators determined that Kelley had thought about committing the crime a number of different ways for months.
He also admitted that he had planned to take the Social Security check money and travel to Las Vegas.
Deputies located an Amtrak schedule and maps of the city among his personal items.
In 2003, Kelley pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and was sentenced to 25 years-to-life.
On August 14, 2019, at Folsom State Prison, a California parole board issued a 5-year denial for Kelley.
The Tulare County District Attorney’s Office said they routinely attend parole hearings and a supervising prosecutor argued against his release.
This was Kelley’s first parole hearing.
