On Christmas Day in 2018, the life of Peggy Lee Sanders, a 34-year-old White woman from Fairmont, West Virginia, was tragically cut short in the small community of Montana Mines. The evening was shattered by a shooting that occurred around 8 p.m., resulting in injuries that would prove fatal for Sanders. She was rushed to Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, but ultimately succumbed to her wounds.
In the wake of the holiday tragedy, the Marion County Sheriff's Department launched an
investigation into the circumstances surrounding the shooting. Details were initially scarce as authorities worked to piece together the events of that evening. The investigation led to a suspect, James Hinerman III, who was 24 years old at the time.
A Marion County grand jury later returned indictments against Hinerman, charging him with wanton endangerment with a firearm and involuntary manslaughter. According to police allegations, the fatal shooting was not an act of intentional malice, but rather one of reckless behavior. Hinerman was reportedly handling a firearm within a group of people and, despite being told to stop, continued to point the weapon. The gun discharged, striking Sanders.
