Wheelchair-bound Defendant Murdered Ex-Girlfriend's New Love

ATLANTA, GA -- A man has been convicted of murder after he shot and killed his ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend. Sanchez James, 26, also shot the woman, Keisha Bussey, 39, after hiding in a wooded area along Troy Street in Atlanta and waiting for Bussey and Roderick Billups, 40, to pass.

As Bussey and Billups approached, James confronted the victims. James began to ask questions about Bussey and Billups relationship. Bussey told James that she had been dating Billups for about a year since breaking up with the defendant. James then brandished a purple .380 handgun that was sitting in his lap and fired multiple shots at Bussey and Billups. Bussey suffered one gunshot wound to the stomach and survived. Billups was struck four times in the arm, head, and back and died at the scene.

After shooting Bussey and Billups, James rolled away in his wheelchair.

Police found five .380 shell casings around Billups’ body. One officer saw James wheeling away about 100 yards from the murder scene. The officer arrested James and then searched a nearby area where he found the gun. which was matched to the shell casings.

James was in a wheelchair due to paralysis from the waist down as a result of a gunshot wound he received in 2016. Bussey would assist James with his daily routine when the two were dating, but she ended their relationship when she discovered he was communicating with an ex-girlfriend. James has three prior arrests, and in one case, was arrested for simple battery for striking a previous girlfriend who he believed cheated on him.

He has been sentenced to life in prison.

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