In an act of compassion that ended in tragedy, 31-year-old James Michael Harris Sr. was fatally shot in his Louisville, Kentucky, apartment in 2017. A male, Harris had offered a place to stay to Justin Curry, a man he had known for years. At the time, Curry was on home incarceration for a drug charge. This kindness was met with violence when, only days after moving in, Curry shot and killed Harris.
The precise motive for the shooting remains unclear.
Harris's mother later lamented the circumstances, noting that as a convicted felon himself, her son should not have been in a position to house someone on home incarceration. The shooting took place in Harris's apartment on Terril Lane, turning a place of offered refuge into a crime scene.
Following an investigation, Justin Curry was arrested and charged with murder and possession of a handgun by a convicted felon. In 2019, a jury found him guilty on both counts. The jury recommended a life sentence, which the judge subsequently imposed. During the trial, Curry read a letter that his attorney presented as an apology, though Harris's family did not find it to be sincere.
The conviction brought a small measure of closure to Harris's family, including his three children. His mother found some solace in knowing that her last conversation with her son had ended with her telling him she loved him. James Michael Harris Sr. was laid to rest in Pee Wee Valley Cemetery following a funeral service at First Baptist Church Pee Wee Valley.
