His trial for allegedly capturing her again in August was set to start subsequent yr.

James Ray Saucier was shot and killed at roughly 12:15 p.m. within the entryway of the Pearl River Chancery Courthouse in Poplarville, Mississippi on December 17, . His estranged spouse, 49-year-old Tanya Saucier, was apprehended virtually instantly, per New Orleans Fox affiliate WVUE.

She has been charged with homicide. It’s not recognized when she’s going to make her first court docket look, the place she would doubtless enter a plea. The Pearl River County Sheriff’s Workplace is constant to analyze the difficult case.

“I used to be dealing with some paperwork when issues went crossways,” mentioned James’ lawyer Don Rafferty, who advised Biloxi’s ABC/CBS affiliate WLOX he was simply contained in the courthouse finalizing the proceedings when the capturing occurred.

Based on Rafferty, personnel from contained in the courthouse rapidly rushed to the scene of the capturing in an try and render assist. “There have been a few individuals who acquired on the market attempting to avoid wasting his life, together with ladies who labored within the Chancery Clerk’s workplace,” he mentioned. “They went above and past attempting to avoid wasting his life.”

Talking with WVUE, Saucier’s brother-in-law Wordie Carroll mentioned of these staff, “They held him till the tip, comforting him, conserving him quiet and comfy.”

Tanya’s lawyer, State Consultant Jansen Owens, advised the outlet he was strolling out of the courthouse when his consumer opened fireplace. “Mainly, I left the courthouse and he or she opened fireplace. I did finally subdue her at which level she made threats towards me,” he added.

Leaning on his army coaching and first assist expertise, Owens mentioned he “grabbed her and put my knee in her again till legislation enforcement took over,” kicking the gun away. He additionally mentioned he tried to manage first assist to James, who finally died on the scene.

Talking after the deadly capturing, James’ brother-in-law Wordie Carroll advised WLOX, “I want they may have labored out their issues in a peaceable approach, I want they’d God within the heart of their hearts so that each choice they made was based mostly on, ‘What would Jesus do?’”

One in every of James sisters-in-law, Johanna Peterson, advised WVUE the household is “is in shock, in addition to annoyed and enraged.”

“She was proper there together with her lawyer and shot him 9-10 occasions,” she advised the information station. “She’s taken seven grandchildren’s grandfather away from them. He has a daughter and a son.”

Based on court docket paperwork seen by WVUE, James had been indicted in August 2024 on fees of aggravated assault and home violence with a lethal weapon. These stemmed from accusations that he had shot his then-wife 5 occasions, together with as soon as within the face.

Talking of that previous incident, Rafferty mentioned, “My consumer mentioned he was defending himself. And also you noticed what occurred at this time.”

Peterson additionally referred to the earlier alleged capturing, saying of Tanya, “She misplaced her eye. She claimed he tried to kill her. James Ray mentioned it was self-defense.”

The reality of that story could by no means come out now. James’ trial within the alleged capturing of his spouse was scheduled for trial, with a begin date for March 4, 2025, in line with the courthouse.

“Behind our thoughts, we had been frightened… his sister, his household… he has one dwelling brother, they suspected it they usually begged and pleaded for the sheriff’s division to do one thing,” Peterson advised WLOX.

“When the primary home violence occurred, she was purported to get arrested as effectively,” she added. “For some cause, we don’t know why, that by no means occurred.”