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Houston Murder Defendant Dies in Court Before 35-Year Plea Deal

Officials ordered an autopsy to probe preliminary reports of possible drug ingestion, including naloxone use by a bailiff.

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The Harris County Criminal Justice Center, 1201 Franklin St., left, and the Harris County Civil Courthouse, 201 Caroline St., are shown Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024, in Houston. On Friday morning, a man charged with the murder of his wife experienced a medical emergency in court and later died at Ben Taub Hospital. 
James Anderson appears in Harris County court in 2023 on charges that he killed his wife. 
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Overview

  • James Paul Anderson suffered a medical emergency shortly after arriving at the Harris County Criminal Justice Center and was pronounced dead at Ben Taub Hospital at 11:05 a.m.
  • He had been set to accept a plea agreement carrying a 35-year prison sentence in the 2023 killing of his wife, Victoria Anderson.
  • The Harris County District Attorney’s Office said a court bailiff administered naloxone before EMS arrived, as investigators work to determine what caused the collapse.
  • Harris County Precinct 1 Constable Alan Rosen cited preliminary information indicating the defendant ingested drugs, with the official cause of death pending an autopsy by the county’s Institute of Forensic Sciences.
  • Witnesses told local outlets that Anderson spit into a trash can and that a bag with a crystal-like substance was found, accounts that remain unconfirmed by authorities.