In December 2009, James Carroll, 37, was brutally killed inside an Old Louisville home in Kentucky, as shown in Oxygen’s “Snapped: Killer Couples.” The culprits were apprehended by the police relatively immediately, but it quickly turned into a classic case of one person using words to hurt the other as they attempted to blame the other for the horrible crime. Here is what we know about the case, if you’re interested in finding out more about it and who the killer turned out to be in the end.
How Did James Carroll Die?
James Carroll, 37, was characterised as “entrepreneurial,” “a go-getter,” and someone who “made people laugh” by his ex-boyfriend Chris Hern. “He was a person who was full of life, always in a good mood, and always tried to be positive,” the speaker continued. Early in 2000, Chris met his former partner James, a female illusionist, at a club in Huntington, West Virginia. “In Huntington, James had a different personality,” he said. In the Huntington area, he is well-known as “Ronicka Reed,” the female illusionist.
Chris claimed that during their four years together, James had a hair salon named “Illusions” in Paintsville, Kentucky. He stated that his ex-partner did not get any traffic tickets while they were together and that they only started using narcotics after their breakup. “It is just utterly tragic,” he said. James was surrounded by a large circle of devoted friends and family who attempted to persuade him to change his way of life. Chris said, “James was living in Lexington and went to Louisville just to run from the law,” despite the fact that they were not in constant communication.
Chris claims that during their relationship, James’s threats against others or himself were “not uncommon.” Therefore, on June 17, 2010, after police were called to investigate a domestic altercation in the 1400-block of South Fourth Street, they discovered James’ dead in an Old Louisville residence, he was not entirely shocked that his former boyfriend had died violently. According to police sources, James suffered many stab wounds and was shot with a.38 calibre gun before passing away.
The body was mangled with a sledgehammer, the knees were broken, and the remains were hog-tied before being stuffed into a 50-gallon plastic container that was at least three feet below the dirt basement floor. “James Carroll spent approximately six months in a 50-gallon Rubbermaid container covered in lime, sealed shut with foam, and strapped with duct tape, so no one could spell his corpse,” Assistant Commonwealth Attorney Josh Schneider said. Sometime in December 2009, the police suspected that he had been murdered.
Joseph Banis: The Man Behind James Carroll’s Murder
Jeffrey “Jeff” Mundt graduated from Indiana University with a degree in computer technology. He swam at Lakeside Swim Club and attended Atherton High School. After completing his master’s degree at Northwestern University, he returned to Louisville in May 2009 to work in the information technology department of the University of Louisville. Jeff was described as amiable and diligent by coworkers to the police. But he lived a parallel life, feeding his addiction to crystal meth and brutal sex.
Jeff Banis, a Sergeant Jon Lesher in the Louisville, Kentucky Police Department, said, “He tells friends and coworkers that he is a gay man and has an alternative lifestyle, but what goes on behind his closed doors is a nightmare.” Jeff moved out of Evanston and onto 4th Street in Louisville in 2007. According to reports, Jeff moved in with Joseph “Joey” Banis after meeting him online in late 2009. Joey was a former club owner in Louisville’s downtown area who had a troubled past that included meth addiction, felony convictions, and jail time.
According to reports, Joey had an internet friendship with James prior to beginning a romantic involvement with Jeff following his release from prison in September 2009. Prosecutors claim that in December 2009, the “twisted couple” went out and did drugs with James, who also happens to be their meth dealer and sex partner. They depicted a scene of drugs and resentment leading to James’s demise. According to reports, Joey went to Jeff’s Old Louisville house for a night of meth and sex with both men after meeting James on a website for gay men.
On the other hand, Joey’s defence attorney asserted that Jeff felt envious of his exclusion from sexual activity. Jeff, meanwhile, asserted that Joey murdered James during the course of a drug-fueled weekend trip. According to court documents, Jeff and Joey attended a party in Chicago not long after killing each other. They were accused of attempting to exchange fake money with employees at a downtown hotel, which led to their detention. The gun used to kill James and $55,000 in counterfeit money were discovered, according to Chicago police.
On June 17, 2010, Louisville police were called to Jeff’s home in response to a sex dispute between him and Joey. After police reacted to a heartfelt 911 call from Jeff, who said that Joey was threatening him, the latter pointed them in the direction of James’ grave. Detectives with Louisville Metro Police originally discounted the story as illogical. But when they learned that James’ family believed he was incarcerated and Lexington police were unable to locate him there, they returned to the house and found the dead.
“Both defendants claimed that they did nothing and that the other person did everything, and that’s simply not true,” assistant prosecutor Ryan Conroy said. They consented to provide contradictory testimony in their individual 2013 trials. Joey was ultimately found guilty of first-degree murder and evidence tampering. She was given a life sentence with the chance of release after 20 years. Jeff was given an eight-year term after being found guilty on lesser charges of tampering with evidence and aiding theft, but he was granted parole in August 2014.
