CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — The boyfriend accused of killing Allisha Watts had his bond raised to $1 million and the DA will not be seeking the death penalty in this case.
Authorities at the Montgomery County courthouse confirmed this week that James Dunmore, 51, of Charlotte, has been ordered no contact with the family.
In late August, Judge Thai Vang had previously set no bond in this case. Dunmore has been held at the Montgomery County Jail since then, the sheriff’s office said.
Dunmore is accused of murdering his girlfriend, 39-year-old Allisha Watts. Dunmore was arrested in August at his home in the University City area.
Watts’ remains were found in Montgomery County in August, according to the sheriff’s office.
A massive search began after Watts, who is from Southern Pines, went missing in July. Family members criticized law enforcement for a slow response.
Ultimately, her name was entered into a missing persons database.
“I can’t imagine how somebody could be so wicked and evil,” Bridget Cotts, a friend of Watts’ family, said to Queen City News this summer.
According to warrants, Dunmore made an apparent suicide attempt before troopers discovered him inside Watts’ missing vehicle at the Anson County DMV parking lot. He was reportedly treated at the hospital, but his whereabouts had been unknown since his August arrest.
“We just have to do the very best we can and move forward and lift Ms. Watts’ name up,” a Montgomery County official said. “There will be a day of reckoning for this individual that was arrested.”
If convicted, Dunmore faces life in prison without the possibility of parole. His next court date is scheduled for Jan. 8, 2024.
