Bio

James Earl Patterson was born on January 31, 1967. He grew up in Virginia. As he grew older, Patterson began to have problems with the law. He faced multiple charges for robbery, drug use, and violence during his youth.

He became more involved with criminal activities as he got older. By his teenage years, he had accumulated a record of offenses. 

At the age of 20, Patterson had a violent incident that resulted in a serious crime. This was a significant moment in his life. It set off a chain of events that would change everything for him. He was later sentenced to a lengthy prison term for multiple crimes, including rape.

During his time in prison, Patterson's life changed in various ways. He began to express feelings of regret for his past actions. He came to find some form of religious faith while serving his sentence. This shift in mindset was significant for him.

Murder Story

On January 11, 1987, James Earl Patterson broke into the home of 56-year-old Joyce Snead Aldridge in Prince George County, Virginia. He had met her briefly through her daughter but had no close relationship with her. That night, Patterson was under the influence of alcohol and cocaine. He intended to rob her to fund his drug habits.

When he entered her home, he demanded her purse. However, when he discovered that she had only a few coins, he became angry. In a disturbing turn of events, he then assaulted Aldridge, raping her before stabbing her three times in the abdomen with a kitchen knife. After the initial attack, Aldridge managed to reach the phone to call for help but struggled to connect with her son. In a cruel twist, Patterson returned and stabbed her 14 more times, ensuring she could not tell anyone what had happened.

Initially, the case went cold for a long time. It wasn't until March 1999 that Patterson became a suspect when DNA evidence collected from Aldridge's body matched his DNA in the state database. This match led law enforcement to investigate him further. While serving a 25-year sentence for a separate rape, Patterson confessed to the murder and pleaded guilty to capital murder, abduction, and multiple sexual assault charges. He requested a death sentence.

On March 14, 2002, Patterson was executed by lethal injection. His execution marked a significant moment in legal history as it was the first in the United States based on a DNA "cold hit."