Bio

Norman A. Porter Jr. was born in 1939. He grew up in Woburn, Massachusetts. At age 21, he was involved in a robbery at the Robert Hall clothing store in Saugus, Massachusetts. During this crime, he shot and killed a part-time clerk named John Pigott.

Later, while awaiting trial for this crime, Porter was in Middlesex County Jail. In 1961, during this time, he participated in an escape that resulted in the death of a jailer named David Robinson. After these events, Porter was sentenced to two consecutive life terms for murder.

While in prison, Porter worked hard to improve himself. He earned a high school diploma and later an undergraduate degree from Boston University. He also became active in prison life by starting a newspaper and a radio station.

In 1975, one of his life sentences was commuted by then-Governor Michael Dukakis. This led to Porter being moved to a minimum-security facility. In December 1985, he escaped from this center. After living as a fugitive for nearly 20 years under the name J.J. Jameson, Porter was finally apprehended in Chicago in March 2005.

Murder Story

In 1960, Norman A. Porter Jr., known as "J.J. Jameson" later in life, committed his first murder. On September 29, he robbed the Robert Hall Clothing Store in Saugus, Massachusetts. During the robbery, he shot and killed John Pigott, a 22-year-old store clerk. Porter used a sawed-off shotgun and killed Pigott while he was reaching for cash.

In 1961, while awaiting trial for the murder of Pigott, Porter was involved in another fatal incident. He escaped from Middlesex County Jail with another inmate. During the escape, Porter and his accomplice attacked the jail master, David S. Robinson. Robinson was killed during this altercation. Porter was later apprehended after he attempted to rob a grocery store in New Hampshire.

Porter pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for both the killing of John Pigott and David Robinson. He was sentenced to two consecutive life terms in prison.

In December 1985, he escaped from a minimum-security facility known as the Norfolk Pre-Release Center. After his escape, Porter lived under the radar as "J.J. Jameson" in Chicago for nearly 20 years. His past went undetected until 2005 when he was arrested at the Third Unitarian Church in Chicago. This arrest ended his status as one of Massachusetts' most wanted fugitives. Porter died on December 27, 2023, at the age of 83.