Attorney General Ken Paxton
WHARTON COUNTY – Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has secured a capital murder verdict against Brandon James, who was found guilty of shooting and killing Shane Singleton during a 2021 robbery in El Campo, Texas.
On the evening of February 23, 2021, Shane Singleton went to a residence in El Campo to purchase a firearm. When he arrived, the would-be seller entered the front passenger seat of Singleton’s vehicle. Shortly thereafter, Brandon James and four other individuals surrounded Singleton’s vehicle, ambushing him. James was armed with a .22 rifle. A struggle ensued, and Singleton shot one of the assailants in self-defense. James then shot Singleton in the back of the head, killing him. Afterward, James and the others fled the scene.
Following a week-long trial, the jury deliberated for approximately an hour before convicting James. As required by Texas law, James was sentenced to incarceration in the Institutional Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for life. James, who was sixteen at the time of the offense, was certified by a juvenile court to stand trial as an adult. Because of his age, he will be eligible for parole in forty years.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant Attorneys General Joshua Somers and Matthew Shawhan.
