'My son was a war hero, you're a murderer'

James Belyea of Farmington is led from Courtroom I after pleading guilty to the murder of James LaPrade and the attempted murder of Belyea's mom. (Rochester Voice photos)

DOVER - They came one by one, the family and friends of Marine Platoon Sgt. James "Jimmy" LaPrade, to excoriate his killer, a then 15-year-old who shot the former combat veteran with his own handgun twice in the head as he slept.

James Belyea, 17, of Farmington, was sentenced to 32½ years to life for the fatal shooting of LaPrade, the kill shot fired just two inches from his head, Assistant Attorney General John Kennedy said on Monday.

But Belyea wasn't done that cold, snowy Wednesday in March 2017. After shooting LaPrade, Belyea calmly walked downstairs and fired seven rounds at his mom as she returned home after running errands. One of the rounds grazed her head, another grazed her back and a third caused significant damage to her shoulder.

Alida LeVier, holds framed pictures of her son, James LaPrade, and his Marine Corps cap moments after his killer, James Belyea, was sentenced to at least 40 years in jail for the murder of her son and attempted murder of his mom.

At the time of the shootings LaPrade and Belyea's mom, Denise, were roommates after ending a romantic relationship. Belyea, who lived with them, was sentenced to seven and a half to 15 years for the attempted murder of his mom, who was not seen in the courtroom on Monday.

After Denise Belyea was wounded she ran out of the house and called 911. James Belyea also called 911, later telling arriving police, "I probably shouldn't have done that."

Belyea was 15 when the shootings occurred, so many of the case records remain sealed. No official motive for the killings has ever been given.

However, as Judge Mark Howard asked Belyea if he were of clear mind and judgment as he pleaded guilty to the charges, at one point he asked, "Do you have a mental condition?"

Belyea immediately answered, "No," then moments later murmured, "Yes," after which counsels swiftly approached the bench. After a brief consult with Howard they returned to continue the plea and sentencing with no further mention of mental illness except in the sentencing, which allows Belyea to shave a year off his sentence if he successfully participates in mental health counseling.

Clad in a collared maroon jersey and khaki prison pants, Belyea remained shackled throughout his court appearance. While his verbal responses to the judge were measured and clear, his eyes remained distant and unfixed, even as he was escorted by a phalanx of sheriff's deputies and bailiffs through the upstairs courthouse lobby to the inmate-only elevator that would take him back to Strafford County Jail and ultimately to a New Hampshire State Prison.

In statements to investigators his mom, Denise Belyea, described his eyes as cold and distant as he fired seven shots at her that March morning after killing her former boyfriend.

While Belyea comportment remained detached, the opposite can be said of a large contingent of LaPrade's family and family, many of whom read emotional victims' statements that had many sniffling and wiping their eye with Kleenex.

Among the most powerful were those of LaPrade's mother and father.

In a statement written by his dad and read by a family member, he said, "My son Jimmy was a hero and he was taken in such a cowardly way. And to think my son survived two combat tours and to be killed in his sleep by a person he tried to help."

Other family members lamented LaPrade had done so much for the teenager, taking him on skiing trips and putting a roof over his head.

But the most powerful impact statement came from LaPrade's mom, Alida LeVier, who spoke last.

"My son was a war hero, you're a murderer," LeVier said holding framed pictures of her son and his Marine cap. "Anyone who visits you in prison will be visiting a murderer. Anyone who calls you on the phone will be talking to a murderer."

Referring to two combat tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, LeVier added, "He put his life at risk to protect you but you murdered him instead."