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Son, daughter in car with throats cut. Former mother-in-law shot to death
By Bill Lilley
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Tuesday, Jun 09, 2009
CANTON: A 35-year-old Canton man described by a neighbor as ''a nice guy but a little far out'' was charged with three counts of aggravated murder after police say he went on a killing spree Monday morning that took the lives of his two young children and his former mother-in-law.
James Mammone III was arrested at 8:45 a.m. Monday by Canton police in the driveway of his apartment complex in the 1400 block of Fulton Road Northwest. The bodies of his two children, 5-year-old daughter Macy and 3-year-old son James IV, were strapped into car seats in the rear of his tan Chevrolet Corsica. Their throats had been cut, said Harry Campbell, chief investigator for the Stark County Coroner's Office.
Mammone also is charged in the fatal shooting of 57-year-old Margaret Eakin of Canton.
He was taken to the Stark County Jail. Municipal Judge John A. Poulos set bond at $15 million during a preliminary hearing Monday.
''He would do stuff like dye his hair red and orange, which I thought was kind of strange for a guy his age,'' said Rick Pittman, 33, a coding inspector for the state and a neighbor of Mammone. ''And he was really into the Beatles. All I ever heard was Beatles songs from his apartment.
''But I liked him. He loved his kids, which really makes this
whole thing strange.''
Pittman called Mammone ''intelligent'' and ''educated.''
''I think he lost his professional job and he was delivering pizzas for Hungry Howie's to support himself and the kids. That's why what he did is so unthinkable,'' Pittman said.
Canton Police Chief Dan McKimm said police responded to a call from a neighbor who heard gunshots coming from Eakin's house on Poplar Avenue Northwest about 5:40 a.m. Police found Eakin dead in an upstairs bedroom.
She had been shot multiple times, McKimm said.
Around 6 a.m., the Canton Police Department was notified by the Stark County Sheriff's Office that Mammone had tried to break into the house in the 400 block of Aultman Avenue Northwest occupied by his ex-wife, Marcia. The Mammones divorced March 4.
''At that point we became very concerned about the safety of the children,'' McKimm said.
He said Mammone had picked up his children Sunday afternoon at Eakin's house.
''It was part of the arrangement,'' police Capt. Bruce Lawver said. ''The mother would drop the kids off at the grandmother's house and Mammone would pick the kids up on Sunday afternoon.''
Pittman said he saw Mammone and the children around 8:45 p.m. Sunday.
''His son loved my orange chopper,'' Pittman said. ''I was out riding, and when I came in, the little boy came over to see the bike.''
Pittman said he heard Mammone return to the building around 11:30 p.m. and run into his apartment.
''The next thing I knew, it was 7:15 a.m. and there were cops and fire department people all over the place. I looked out my window and said to myself, 'Oh, my God, what is going on?' It was totally crazy. The SWAT team was even out here. They were going through all of our garages looking for things. We had no idea what was going on.''
McKimm said Mammone returned in his car to the apartment complex around 8:30 a.m. and immediately was taken into custody by Canton police.
''He gave up without incident,'' McKimm said.
McKimm said the children already were dead, but he would not be specific about how long they had been dead.
''It's still very, very early in the investigation and there are certain things we don't know and we don't want to release unconfirmed information at this time,'' McKimm said. ''We really don't know a lot about the man at this point.''
When asked whether police had any motives, McKimm said, ''We can't release that information.''
In addition to aggravated murder, Mammone has been charged with aggravated burglary in the attempted break-in at his ex-wife's house.
Mammone's only criminal record is a conviction for domestic violence on June 19, 2008.
He had lived in the apartment complex on Fulton Road about four months, Pittman said.
''The man was a little odd, but a pleasant guy who absolutely loved his children,'' Pittman said. ''He was always hugging them, carrying them one in each arm down the steps. His kids were his whole life.
''But he lost his previous professional job, lost his wife and might also have been losing his kids as well. He was a really good dad who just lost it.''
Bill Lilley can be reached at 330-996-3811 or blilley@thebeaconjournal.com.
CANTON: A 35-year-old Canton man described by a neighbor as ''a nice guy but a little far out'' was charged with three counts of aggravated murder after police say he went on a killing spree Monday morning that took the lives of his two young children and his former mother-in-law.
Get the full article here.
Comments
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Canton, OH
Posted 06:31 AM, 06/09/2009
WOW !!!!!!!!!!!
Posted 06:37 AM, 06/09/2009
he's trying to look crazy... mmmmm. kill him
akron, oh
Posted 07:13 AM, 06/09/2009
I'm so tired of people hurting kids, slicing there throats if he took the time to do that he's really sick. unbelievable
Akron, OH
Posted 07:13 AM, 06/09/2009
Geeze Louise, what's the world comin' to.
akron, oh
Posted 07:25 AM, 06/09/2009
the heck with a trial just fry him.......this world is turning crazier by the day......
akron, oh
Posted 07:32 AM, 06/09/2009
I wish I could get my hands on him.
Hooterville, Oh
Posted 07:44 AM, 06/09/2009
It's Captain Kangaroo !!!!!!!!
Stow, OH
Posted 07:53 AM, 06/09/2009
I consider someone "eccentric" who is in their older years molded by hard times from the depression or beyond. Someone eccentric in their mid 30's is just a fruitcake.They must have really lowered the bar on what constitutes being a good dad too.
akron, oh
Posted 07:56 AM, 06/09/2009
You can look at him and tell he is looney. I'm not big on the death penalty, but in this case I make an exception.
Barberton, OH
Posted 08:04 AM, 06/09/2009
No words will adequately express my disgust and horror. My sympathies and prayers to the families of the victims.
Akron, oh
Posted 08:40 AM, 06/09/2009
I dont know what to think about this. No matter what, i just can't see someone slicing there own kids throat! a 5 and 3 year old! So the ex wife has lost her mother and her children! i hope he gets whatever he deserves!
akron, oh
Posted 08:40 AM, 06/09/2009
these stories are getting more and more frequent. it is such a shame that these two little ones died at the hands of their father... he should of done everyone a favor and killed himself instead. sick sick sick
Richfield, OH
Posted 08:42 AM, 06/09/2009
The death sentence is the only answer for this one.
Posted 08:42 AM, 06/09/2009
Pittman said, ''But he lost his previous professional job, lost his wife and might also have been losing his kids as well. He was a really good dad who just lost it.''
Well than that makes it all right.
What a horrible story!!! Did the reverand write it. This paper is an embarassment to intelligence. Nothing like empathetic news.
Akron, oh
Posted 08:47 AM, 06/09/2009
Nice smile. He appears to be a happy man killing his children.
Lets smile when we put the needle in his arm
Akron, OH
Posted 08:49 AM, 06/09/2009
I'm tired of reading these stories.
Posted 09:42 AM, 06/09/2009
In the photo, the police are putting tarps on an Oldsmobile Cutlass, not a Chevrolet Corsica. Details, details...
akron, oh
Posted 10:26 AM, 06/09/2009
This whole thing just makes me sick to stomach i cant even start to think how could you do anything hurtful to your own kids or for that matter any kids i am a mother and even if i wasnt i could never ever hurt my children in any way i cry if i have to punish them one to many times and to do that it is just unforgivable my they rip and my deepest sympathy to the mother of the children
Wadsworth, OH
Posted 10:27 AM, 06/09/2009
He obviously did not love his children and how dare someone say he was a good dad.
Good Dads that love their children DO NOT slit their throat. I hate hearing people say how great a killer was, blah blah blah.
He was a crazy loser who deserves the death penalty for this awful act. However lethal injection is too easy for him, SLIT his throat
and so he can suffer the same as his lil children suffered. What is wrong with People these days? Normal people lose their jobs and wives every day and they do not turn and kill their kids.
These stories make my blood boil.........
Barberton, OH
Posted 10:34 AM, 06/09/2009
HE MAY BE THE ONE WHO FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST!!! LOL
Wadsworth, OH
Posted 10:35 AM, 06/09/2009
After looking at his nasty Picture, you can see CRAZY on that face.....
Posted 10:38 AM, 06/09/2009
What the heck is wrong with this paper ?????
James Mammone III of Canton called eccentric who loved his kids
Father charged in 3 homicides
Son, daughter in car with throats cut. Former mother-in-law shot to death
By Bill Lilley
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Tuesday, Jun 09, 2009
Posted 11:02 AM, 06/09/2009
Broken Spirits all over the world. Pray
Tallmadge, Oh
Posted 11:24 AM, 06/09/2009
Just absolutely the saddest thing I have heard in a long, long time :(
fowlerville, mi
Posted 11:29 AM, 06/09/2009
I am sorry deeply sorry for the mother of thoses dear children. Just because the lost his job or got divorced is absolutly no reason to commit those ghastly crimes. He broke the law and deserves all the punishement that he can be charged. You now have this poor women still alive and greiving the loss of her marraige, children, and mother. How can anyone deserve such pain. My thoughts and prayers are with the mother. GOD BLESS HER AND GIVE HER STRENGTH.
akron, oh
Posted 11:31 AM, 06/09/2009
Pittman called Mammone ''intelligent'' and ''educated.''
Most crazy people are. This is very sad story. My prayers are with the family.
akron, OH
Posted 11:33 AM, 06/09/2009
convicted of domestic violence one year ago, given probation and a protection order. Thanks court system! Ohio's Domestic Violence laws are pretty tough, but they need some sort of program to sort out the "if I can't have her, nobody will" losers.Combine domestic violence with threats and stalking and left unchecked this is what you get.
I hope they slit his throat in jail.
Posted 12:24 PM, 06/09/2009
I want to apologize for any negative comments I posted on this story yesterday, regarding the police arriving at the scene and his kids being killed in the car. The story yesterday made it sound like an hour had elapsed from the time the police arrived until they apprehended him, and that during that time he went out and killed the kids.
More details in this story make it clear that he was not home when police arrived, and that when he showed up with the kids he was apprehended, and the children were already dead.
My prayers go out the families, such a tragic loss of life, and for what? Because the guy was going through some tough times? Lost his job, got divorced, and now his ex is with another guy (another fact not in this story but reported last night on WKYC).
Posted 12:24 PM, 06/09/2009
I was a hit during my divorce by a husband of over 20 years who never hit me before. I had him arrested & put in Jail. I asked him several times if he was going to kill me, he always said no, but I never believed him. He left me, and we have recently settled in court (after 36 months). I got a good monetary settlement. I've had his family members tell me how angry he is, I double lock my doors & he lives 800 miles away...
This type of story should not be treated as a puff piece...Fathers, mothers killing their children and stupid reporters talking to neighbors in shock as news is SO IGNORANT. I don't blame the neighbor at all, what was he suppose to say??? It is the reporting that is so galactically stupid to think that is REPORTING.
This story belongs in the hall of shame for "reporter's" everywhere.
Posted 12:40 PM, 06/09/2009
Steve I saw no comments from you, but I have a feeling you do not need to apoloize. You are not the reporter who is not reporting on a mortal crime.
I am surprised at myself for the outrage I feel for the way this was reported by the ABJ. I sent it to Keith Olberman & Glenn Beck, Da King & the Reverand.
Real News should not be entertainment..man your breaking my heart.
Akron, OH
Posted 02:08 PM, 06/09/2009
bluebird,
I don't think the reporter is out of line. The story is tragic and he is reporting on the story. Part of that is providing perspective, a large part of which involves getting a profile of the perp from the point of view of people who knew and interacted with him. If anything, it shows just how horrific these acts are in that seemingly normal (within reason) are the ones that commit these acts in spite of how they've acted towards the victims in the past. I'm not going to tell you how to feel, but I don't feel the same sentiment. It's just a tragic story.
Posted 03:50 PM, 06/09/2009
The Ohio Judicial system sucks. You can file complaints and try to get CPO's to keep crazy people away from you and they do nothing. My magistrates were paid off so I lost. I had all of my proof in folders and they wouldn't even look. Stalking, text message harassing, etc.
This guy that killed his children, no trial, fry the SOB....How can you do that to your kids. What is wrong with people.
Posted 04:33 PM, 06/09/2009
Mr. Pittman - please don't try to apply logic to this situation. Lots of us are or have been unemployed, divorced, in custody battles, etc...sometimes all at the same time. Since when is that any excuse to commit such an atrocity? James Mammone is obviously a sociopath, and the system should have done more to protect this family. The court ordered him to not call or text his ex-wife, yet she received 400 messages before he went on his rampage.
How will Marcia and her father ever recover from this tragedy?
akron, oh
Posted 08:41 PM, 06/09/2009
"I've been around the world and found that only stupid people are breeding" This world really sucks sometimes and children are always the ones doing the suffering. And then they grow up and continue the cycle. I wish I could go around the world and eradicate every single person that has ever hurt a child in any way. And I would take them out in the manner that they abused.
North Canton, OH
Posted 09:19 PM, 06/09/2009
He confessed. Save all the court nonsense on Wednesday and take him to the middle of the square downtown and slit his throat. There is no need for him to be here on earth anymore.
Canton, Oh
Posted 10:51 PM, 06/09/2009
I live in Canton, two blocks from where the grandmother lived. Harter Heights is a rare quiet neighborhood in this city. OUR paper the Rep, has shut down all the comment threads on this story. I learned more from the ABJ than OUR LOCAL paper.
North Royalton, OH
Posted 10:52 PM, 06/09/2009
My first thought what wtf ? Not only because I grew up on Poplar but because he killed his own kids . How is there even a bond set on this motherf ? Shouldn't this creature be held with no bond ? He should be beaten ramdomly every day for the rest of his life to such brutal extent he won't have any teeth left in his effed up mouth . That will keep the smirk off this clown effing face . Give me 2 minutes with this f-head and he would be eating through a straw the rest of his pathetic life .
North Royalton, OH
Posted 10:54 PM, 06/09/2009
And who was this moronic Stark Country magistrate who let his have vistitation with his kids ?? He/She should be thrown into San Quentin .
Canton, Oh
Posted 11:08 PM, 06/09/2009
Judge Jim James handled his divorce and visitation matter. Judge Mary Falvey gave him 2 years PROBATION for domestic violence in 2008.
massillon, oh
Posted 11:13 PM, 06/09/2009
I worked with this guy at howies so it is even worse. What a sick man. He needs the death penalty prison is too good for him. I dont get how people have sympothy he really doesnt deserve it
akron, oh
Posted 07:48 AM, 06/10/2009
Hopefully he will plea bargain a life sentence whereby inmates will take care of him by making him suffer before killing him.
massillon, oh
Posted 11:27 AM, 06/13/2009
the story is kinda stupid saying over and over how good of a dad he was. ya he was real great thats y his kids lived to be 3 and 5 lets give him father of the year. i hope he gets some lovin from a 300 pound dude in jail then dies from an infection
