His name is James Sasser Jr. and he admitted to felony deliberate homicide, tampering with a witness and criminal child endangerment. He is one of five people accused of having a part in the murder of 12-year-old James Hurley.
Alex, who was originally from Texas, lived with his paternal grandparents in Montana. The boy moved to Montana to be with his father and stayed with his paternal grandparents upon the father’s 2018 death.
Alex’s father, died from infection after he was rendered a paraplegic from an ATV accident.
Alex was found dead two years later on Feb. 3, 2020. The cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head.
Investigators allegedly found cell phone videos that showed beatings of the boy carried out by by Sasser Jr, his wife, Patricia Batts, and their then 14-year-old son.
Alex was allegedly beaten regularly with a wooden paddle. He was also made to stand and sit in strenuous positions for prolonged periods of time.
The boy was also deprived of food.
Batts faces the death penalty if convicted on charges of deliberate homicide, aggravated kidnapping, criminal child endangerment, and strangulation of a partner or family member.
When entering his guilty plea with the courts, Sasser Jr. told the judge that Hurley’s death was the result of aggravated assault by his 14-year-old son.
His sentencing is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2021.
