Nearly three years after Allisha Watts disappeared, the Charlotte man accused in her death was expected back in a Montgomery County courtroom today for a scheduled hearing. James Dunmore, at the center of a case that has become a long-running fixture in regional headlines, is due before a judge as families, attorneys and court staff continue to slog through a slow-moving pretrial process marked by motions, vigils and mounting public frustration.
Dunmore, 51, is charged with first-degree murder after Watts, 39, was last seen leaving a home in east Charlotte on July 16, 2023. Her remains were later recovered in a wooded area of Montgomery County, according to ABC11. He was arrested in Charlotte in August 2023 and remains held in Montgomery County custody. His expected appearance this week was first noted by WCNC.
A March 2024 autopsy from the North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner listed Watts's cause and manner of death as "undetermined," saying skeletonization and missing bones made it impossible to rule out competing explanations, according to WBTV. That uncertainty has become a central fault line in pretrial arguments, with defense attorneys stressing the lack of a definitive medical finding while prosecutors maintain that other evidence backs their theory of what happened.
Pretrial Fights And Evidence Disputes
Dunmore's defense team has repeatedly pressed the state for surveillance footage, phone data and personnel records, warning in court that delays in turning over material could weaken the prosecution's case. A judge has ordered prosecutors to produce specific items within firm deadlines, signaling growing impatience on the bench with how slowly the investigation file is being assembled, according to ABC11.
Bond, Penalty And Past Hearings
Prosecutors have said they will not pursue the death penalty in the case, and a judge set Dunmore's bond at $1 million after his initial arrest, WSOC reported. The decision to allow bond, and its amount, has drawn visible pushback, with family members and supporters protesting at courthouse doors and holding memorial events for Watts as the months tick by.
Investigators have previously said they found a 9mm shell casing near the northeast Charlotte residence where Watts was last seen, and that Dunmore was discovered unresponsive inside Watts's vehicle two days after she vanished, according to reporting by WBTV. Those early scene details, along with cellphone records and vehicle data, are part of the state's narrative about how investigators ultimately homed in on the remote area where her remains were found.
What The Charge Means
Under North Carolina law, first-degree murder is a Class A felony that can be punished by death or by life imprisonment without parole. State law gives prosecutors discretion on whether to seek capital punishment. In Dunmore's case, they have told the court they will not pursue a death sentence, which keeps the proceedings on a non-capital track; see the N.C. General Statutes and reporting from WSOC for background.
The mid-February hearing is expected to touch on any lingering discovery battles and to help map out a schedule for what comes next. Court calendars and future filings will set the pace. Earlier coverage of the case and its court dates has been provided by WCNC.
