Man Convicted of Stalking Woman, Daughters

June 9, 2022 – A Criminal Court jury on Wednesday convicted a 54-year-old man of stalking a North Memphis mother and her three juvenile daughters for more than a year, said Shelby County Dist. Atty. Gen. Amy Weirich.

Defendant Durrell James was convicted on three felony counts of aggravated stalking and a misdemeanor count of stalking the mother of the victims. He remains in jail on $40,000 bond and will be sentenced July 18.

Aggravated stalking involves a victim under age 18 and a suspect who is five years older or more.

According to testimony, beginning in March of 2019 James began following the mother and her daughters around the neighborhood, coming onto their property and front porch where he sometimes tried the doorknob.

They saw him hiding in the bushes by their home and peering into one of the daughter’s bedroom window. The women said he grabbed one of them by the wrist, another by the arm, and on another occasion did a grinding motion next to them. James also threatened to sexually assault all of them, starting with the youngest, and said he would then hurt or kill them when he was through.

The family members said they had no previous relationship to James.

James was arrested for harassment and intimidation on several occasions, but continued to follow the women in violation of bond conditions. A mental evaluation concluded he was competent to stand trial.

The case was handled by Felony Asst. Stacy McEndree and Asst. Dist. Atty. Gen. Karlyn Hillard of the District Attorney’s Vertical Team 6 which prosecutes cases in General Sessions 15 and in Criminal Court Division 10.