On a late November evening in 2018, the life of James Taylor Morris, a 66-year-old White / Caucasian male from Saint Albans, West Virginia, was tragically cut short. The incident unfolded on November 26th at a residence located in the 6700 block of MacCorkle Avenue in Jefferson. Morris, a retired coal miner, was fatally shot in the neck, a violent end to what began as an altercation.
The investigation into the shooting quickly led authorities to several individuals. The primary suspect was identified as Douglas "Fatty" Kidd III, a 33-year-old from the nearby town of Nitro. According to the criminal complaint filed in Kanawha County Magistrate Court, Kidd had been involved in a dispute with Morris at the residence. After the initial confrontation, Morris went back inside the home and then returned outside. At that point, Kidd, who was seated in the passenger side of a truck, allegedly shot Morris. As the truck drove away, Kidd reportedly continued to fire his weapon.
A witness discovered Morris bleeding at the back door of his home.
Within days of the shooting, law enforcement made a series of arrests. On the evening of November 29, 2018, Douglas Kidd III was taken into custody by the Kanawha County Sheriff's Office and charged with first-degree murder. He was subsequently held in the South Central Regional Jail without bond. The investigation, which utilized witness statements and video surveillance footage, also resulted in the arrests of two other individuals.
Amy French, 32, of Charleston, identified as Kidd's girlfriend, was arrested and charged with accessory after the fact to murder. Investigators found that French was present at the residence when the shooting occurred and had received messages from Kidd, including a picture of a handgun in his lap. Another man, 36-year-old James Garnes of Given, West Virginia, was also charged with accessory after the fact to murder. A witness reported being with Kidd and Garnes in Garnes' truck before the shooting and seeing Kidd with a gun. Video evidence showed Garnes' truck pulling into Morris's driveway just before the shooting and leaving the area shortly after, suggesting a coordinated effort among the individuals involved. Garnes was arraigned in Putnam County Magistrate Court where his bond was set at $100,000 cash-only.
