A Union County jury has returned guilty verdicts on all counts filed against the man who stabbed his girlfriend to death following an argument in 2011, acting Union County Prosecutor Michael A. Monahan announced Wednesday.
Officials say Anthony James, 57, was convicted of murder and two related weapons offenses in connection with the death of 48-year-old Audrey Tanksley following a three-week trial before state Superior Court Judge John M. Deitch and approximately 45 minutes of jury deliberation that took place Tuesday afternoon.
According to authorities, at approximately 5 p.m. on September 28, 2011, Plainfield Police Division patrol units responding to a 911 call placed by James found the body of Tanksley in the home they shared on the 300 block of East Seventh Street in Plainfield, according to Union County Assistant Prosecutors Scott Peterson and Alaina Caliendo, who prosecuted the case. James was arrested at the scene.
Police say James claimed at trial, among other lines of defense, that Tanksley was actually the aggressor. However Dr. Zhongxue Hua of the Division of the County Medical Examiner testified that the victim had been stabbed nearly 100 times.
The Prosecutor’s Office would like to thank the dedicated members of the Union County Homicide Task Force, Union County Sheriff’s Office, and Plainfield Police Division who worked on the investigation and prosecution.
Sentencing in the case has been scheduled for Friday, March 29 before Judge Deitch, at which time James will face a term of up to life in state prison.