Guilty Verdict in 2023 Tulare Murder

On September 3, 2025, in Department 17 of the Tulare County Superior Court, South County Justice Center, TCDA prosecutors secured a guilty verdict against James Myron Mitchell, age 23, of Tipton, for first-degree murder.

Shortly before 2 am on July 13, 2023, at a residence in Tulare, Mitchell shot the adult male victim with a rifle from ninety feet away after messaging him to come outside. The shots were captured on nearby video surveillance. Mitchell fled the scene and the state, eluding officers for nearly six months. In early January 2024, Mitchell was arrested by US Marshalls near Chattanooga, Tennessee, and was extradited back to California in April of that year.

At trial, the jury convicted Mitchell of first-degree murder with the special allegations that he committed the murder while lying in wait and that he personally discharged a firearm causing death. 

Sentencing is scheduled for October 10, 2025, in Superior Court where Mitchell faces life in prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Sean Sangree and Deputy District Attorney Michelle Payne and was investigated by the Tulare Police Department.

Media inquiries can be directed to the Office of the District Attorney, County of Tulare Communications Director Stuart Anderson (559) 636-5494