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Jury finds Hendershot guilty of father’s murder

Sentencing set for July 12

By Evan Bevins 4 min read

PARKERSBURG -- James Thomas Hendershot showed no reaction Thursday as Judge Robert Waters read the verdict declaring him guilty of murder in the second degree in the January 2018 death of his father.

The jury of seven women and five men deliberated less than two hours before returning the verdict in a Wood County Circuit Court trial held in Parkersburg City Council's chambers to accommodate social distancing guidelines.

They also found Hendershot, 38, guilty of concealing a deceased human body. That was the charge on which he was initially arrested Jan. 25, 2018, after the body of his father, 65-year-old James C. Hendershot, was found at the residence they shared at 3624 Liberty St. in Parkersburg.

Making his closing argument to the jury, Assistant Wood County Prosecutor Russell Skogstad said the evidence shows the elder Hendershot, who went by Jim, was struck in the head with a blunt object that penetrated his skull. The most likely weapon was a golf putter, from which samples of the victim's blood were recovered, he said.

After being struck, Jim Hendershot crawled from the living room to his bedroom, leaving a trail of blood in the hallway, and later died in the bedroom, Skogstad said.

With no valuable items stolen or signs of forced entry, he said, there is nothing to suggest someone else came into the house.

"That only leaves us with a killer who was living in the house. And the only person inside the house, besides Jim, was J.T.," Skogstad said.

James T. Hendershot's mother, who testified earlier in the week, was hospitalized and not staying in the house at the time. Hendershot said during testimony Wednesday that he loved his mother but did not get along with his father and generally tried not to associate with him.

Assistant Public Defender Andrew Hilber argued the prosecution hadn't proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt.

"This case is all about, not how did James C. Hendershot die or in what manner did he die, but did James T. Hendershot kill him?" he said. "J.T., while on the stand, asked several times by the assistant prosecutor (Heather Nicholson), said unequivocally that he did not do this."

Despite the blood in the hallway, Hilber said it was unlikely someone with Jim Hendershot's injuries and other medical issues, including two surgically replaced knees, could have crawled all the way to the bedroom.

"That's not reasonable, ladies and gentlemen. It's more likely he received an injury while in that room," he said.

He challenged Skogstad's suggestion that the younger Hendershot turned down the thermostat to 58 degrees to slow decomposition of the body, recalling his client's testimony and noting he did not hide potentially incriminating evidence.

"Do you think his is the mind that knows to lower temperature to stave off decomposition?" he said.

On rebuttal, Skogstad said James T. Hendershot took multiple steps to keep the body from being discovered, including trying to prevent his uncle from accessing the house on Jan. 25. He also said the defendant claimed after the body was discovered that he had left the house for several days but testified this week he'd been there the entire time and hadn't noticed the blood in the hall.

Hendershot faces 10 to 40 years in prison on the second-degree murder charge and one to five on the concealing a human body count when he is sentenced at 9:30 a.m. July 12. In the meantime, he will be held without bond at the North Central Regional Jail in Doddridge County.

The four-day trial was held in Parkersburg City Council chambers to allow for social distancing measures to be observed.

Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com.

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