A 34-year-old Morgan Hill man was arrested Wednesday afternoon
in San Jose and in connection with the April 7 shooting death of
24-year-old Mary Fontaine James of San Jose.
A 34-year-old Morgan Hill man was arrested Wednesday afternoon in San Jose and in connection with the April 7 shooting death of 24-year-old Mary Fontaine James of San Jose.
A first-degree murder charge with a special weapons enhancement was filed by the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office Thursday against Jim C. Bynum, said Officer Gina Tepoorten, a spokeswoman for the San Jose Police Department.
The enhancement alleges the use of a handgun in the commission of the murder.
James was the mother of a 6-year-old daughter.
No decision has been made by the DA’s office on whether the death penalty will be sought.
Few details about the murder were released, Tepoorten said, because the investigation is ongoing.
San Jose Police would not disclose a possible motive for the murder and declined to discuss any possible relationship between Bynum and James.
Bynum was taken to Santa Clara County Jail after the arrest, which occurred without incident.
On Wednesday afternoon, officers in a San Jose police van and a sheriff’s car staked out a house on Calle Cerro, across the street from El Toro Elementary School in hopes of arresting Bynum there, according to Morgan Hill Police Lt. Joe Sampson.
“They were not clear if he might be staying at the residence, visiting a girlfriend, or what, but they had reason to believe he might be returning to the residence,” he said.
SJPD notified MHPD of the stakeout as any agency in MHPD’s jurisdiction would do, Sampson said.
“We didn’t know all the details, but we had our SWAT team on stand-by, as is procedure, and were ready to back up or evacuate the school if it had become necessary,” he said.
As it turned out, Bynum was arrested in San Jose while police were waiting outside the Morgan Hill residence.
Tepoorten said San Jose police were not releasing information about Bynum’s exact address, his occupation, connection to the victim or possible motive at this time because the investigation is ongoing, and affidavits were being obtained Thursday in hopes of interviewing witnesses.
According to the SJPD, James’ death was caused by a handgun discharged at close range.
Authorities said James was discovered shot to death in the Gum Tree Apartments on Park Avenue in San Jose. Bynum is scheduled to be arraigned at 1:30 p.m. today in Santa Clara County Superior Court.
