DAYTON — A man accused of shooting and killing another man, then moving his body behind a Popeye’s Louisiana Chicken restaurant, has pleaded guilty to charges following the first day of his murder trial.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
James Hancock, 50, pleaded guilty to one count of involuntary manslaughter and three counts of tampering with evidence, a spokesperson for the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office confirmed on Tuesday.
The plea was in exchange for an agreed sentence of 20 years. His sentencing is now scheduled for Thursday morning.
TRENDING STORIES:
- NWS confirms strength, path of Warren County tornado
- Ohio corrections officer killed in motorcycle crash
- Remembering the nine victims of the Oregon District shooting 7 years later
As previously reported, Hacock was on trial for the shooting death of 35-year-old Matthew Thomas in 2023.
In the morning hours of Nov. 1, 2023, Dayton police were called to the 40 block of Wroe Avenue on report of a suspicious circumstance.
The caller reported that they saw two men placing a body in the bed of a pickup truck in an alley.
Later that day, Harrison Township Fire Department crews responded to reports of a person down at Popeye’s Louisiana Chicken on Salem Avenue.
When they arrived, they found Thomas’ body behind the restaurant.
An autopsy found that Thomas died from multiple gunshot wounds to the head.
Investigators believe Hancock shot and killed Thomas.
He was indicted on charges, including murder, in February 2025 after being initially indicted on charges, including gross abuse of a corpse, in October 2024.
[SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
