The life sentence for a man convicted of kidnapping and killing 26-year-old Jimmie Box Jr. in 2020 will stand.

James Derek Person II was found guilty of first-degree murder, criminal conspiracy and obstruction of justice on July 28, 2023, after a two-day trial.

Jimmie Box Sr. testified that he returned home from a fishing competition at 3 a.m. on Aug. 2, 2020, and noticed his son was not home. When he failed to return the following day, Box reached out to friends, family and social media to see if anyone knew of his son’s whereabouts or had seen his vehicle, a maroon Toyota 4Runner. A missing persons report was filed Aug. 3, 2020.

The next day, cell phone records were retrieved indicating Box’s last call was made to Hayley Limes, an acquaintance.

Box testified he received information about his son’s vehicle being spotted in the Gillis area on Aug. 7, 2020, and that he followed the 4Runner to a gas station in Moss Bluff. He said he notified the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office as he followed the car and told deputies the cargo rack had been disassembled and a few stickers were removed. The driver was later identified as Zachary Sylvest. Upon inspecting the vehicle, Box said he told deputies the radio, subwoofer, speakers and a pistol were missing.

Sgt. Cody Fontenot testified a digital license plate verified the 4Runner belonged to Box. He said Sylvest was subsequently arrested after suspected methamphetamine and heroin were found in the vehicle.

Following Sylvest’s interview with CPSO, a search warrant was issued for two homes — one of which was shared by Person and Limes. During the search, Box’s subwoofer, swords, firearms, ammunition and a DVR recording system were recovered. Pieces of a dissembled nine-millimeter semi-automatic handgun was also discovered in various places throughout the home. The barrel of the gun was missing.

Det. Travis Thompson testified Person was interviewed by Beauregard Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies on Aug. 8, 2020, and indicated he and Box met years prior while both worked for Advanced Auto Parts. Thompson said Person said he last saw Box on Aug. 1, 2020, after Box stopped by the house he shared with Limes. Person claimed no association with Sylvest.

On Aug. 17, 2020, Box’s body was discovered at on oil site in Bon Wier, Texas. According to Thompson, Box was found lying face down with his hands bound behind his back with a black chord. Box’s LSU Crocs were found next to him. A shell casing and bullet fragments were found under Box’s body.

Surveillance footage from a DeRidder gas station shown to jurors shows Box walking in wearing the same pair of shows at about 11 p.m. Aug. 1, 2020.

In a second search of Person’s home, the missing gun barrel, slide stop and firearm case were found.

Danny Fernea of the Louisiana State Police Crime Lab testified he conducted a test fire of the nine-millimeter semi-automatic handgun recovered from Person’s home. According to Fernea, the handgun arrived disassembled, but none of the pieces were missing.

Chelsee Richardson, a firearms examination expert with the lab, testified the cartridge found under Box’s body was fired from the handgun found in Person’s home.

Dr. Ami Murphy, an expert in forensic pathology, testified she conducted an autopsy on Box’s body and ruled he died from a gunshot wound to the back of his head.

Person’s girlfriend, Shona West, told jurors she heard Person, Limes and C.J. Ford planning to kidnap Box and kill him in the woods. She said when Box arrived at Lime’s home, he got in Ford’s truck and didn’t know Person was hiding inside the vehicle. She said after she watched them drive off, she drove Box’s 4Runner back to her home and hid it behind some bamboo in the woods. West testified Sylvest later came and got the 4Runner.

J.D. Parker, a former senior technical support officer with the Louisiana State Police, testified that the cell phones for Ford, Box and Person pinged off cell phones on Aug. 1, 2020, in Bon Wier. Phone records showed Ford and Box also returned to the Bon Wier spot a second time that night. He also said 1,200 communications were found between Box and Person prior to the night of Box’s disappearance. Box also had 208 messages and 22 voice messages from Limes.

After Person was convicted, he was given a mandatory life sentence at hard labor.

In his appeal, Person argued the prosecution didn’t present sufficient evidence for a first-degree murder conviction. The 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal, denied the claim, stating Parker’s testimony proved Person was at the crime scene twice the night Box was killed.

Person also claimed the trial court erred when it overruled a defense team objection to what it deemed the prosecution’s “improper” closing rebuttal statements. Person argued the prosecution tried to “convince the jury that trial counsel was a liar.”

The appeals court rejected the claim, stating when the defense objected to the comments made by the prosecution, they failed to request a mistrial. The justices noted the trial court informed the jury the statements made by counsel were not evidence and instructed the jury to disregard any information that was not presented in evidence.