Washington State Crime

Prosecutors in Washington State have charged 68-year-old James Robert Randle with first-degree murder in the 1992 death of his estranged wife, Janice Randle, after relatives came forward decades later with accounts that he admitted killing her. Janice was found dead in her bed in November 1992 in Pierce County with her toddler daughter in a nearby crib, and the death was initially investigated as a possible overdose until autopsy results found no drugs in her system. According to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office and court statements reported by CBS affiliate KIRO, family members told investigators that Randle confessed over the years, including describing staging the crime scene and saying he put a pillow over Janice’s head, which helped detectives re-evaluate the case and contradict his original account. Deputies arrested Randle at a retirement facility in Everett, Washington, and body-camera footage shows him asking, “What’s this about?” as he is handcuffed; he has pleaded not guilty and is being held on $1 million bail. The sheriff’s office is touting the case as an example of how new tips, improved investigative methods and persistence can revive cold homicide files, while Janice’s children say they long suspected Randle and are now pushing to see the case through in court.