James Richard Curry

Serial Killer

James Richard Curry: Serial Killer in California and Nevada

Early Life and Criminal Background

James Richard Curry was born on November 16, 1946, in Bexar County, Texas. Relatively little reliable information is available about his childhood and early family life. By adulthood, however, Curry had developed a serious criminal record. He was convicted of robbery and assault in Texas and received a lengthy prison sentence. He served part of that sentence at the Huntsville prison system before being released in 1977. Following his release, Curry left Texas and moved to California. He settled for a time in Waukena, a small community in Tulare County, where he worked in the locksmithing business. This employment brought him into contact with James DeWitt Robinson, a fellow locksmith whose later disappearance became an important unresolved part of the investigation into Curry. Curry eventually moved north and became involved in the operation of a self-storage business in Santa Clara, California. His position gave him access to storage lockers and brought him into regular contact with customers and other people in the storage industry. At least three of the people Curry later admitted killing had connections to him through this business.

The Disappearance of James DeWitt Robinson

One of the earliest people investigators later associated with Curry was James DeWitt Robinson, approximately 40 years old, who worked with Curry in the locksmithing business in the Waukena area. Robinson reportedly had received about $10,000 through a personal-injury settlement and had also been involved in property transactions in the Tulare area. He disappeared in approximately 1978. His body has never been recovered, and there is no verified date of death. After Curry was arrested years later, investigators searching property associated with him discovered items belonging to Robinson, including identification or personal documents, checkbooks and a handgun. The discovery raised the possibility that Curry had killed Robinson and taken his possessions. Because Robinson's remains were never located and Curry died before investigators could fully question or prosecute him, Robinson's suspected murder was never conclusively established in court. ...

Confirmed Victims: (4)

Richard Lemmon, Jr. Age: (37), Date of Death: February 18, 1982

Suspected Victims:

James DeWitt Robinson Age: (40), Date of Death: 1978

James Richard Curry - Wikipedia