Phelps Makes Guilty Plea In Gruesome Murder…Sentenced To Life

60-year-old James Phelps, one of the two men accused of kidnapping and killing 33-year-old Cassidy Rainwater in Dallas County in 2021, has entered an Alford plea for first-degree murder. An Alford plea is a type of guilty plea in which a defendant maintains their innocence but acknowledges prosecutors have sufficient evidence for a conviction. It allows the defendant to accept a guilty verdict without a criminal trial.

Phelps’s defense team admitted that the state had enough evidence to convict him. As a result, he has been sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of probation or parole. Phelps has been taken to the Department of Corrections in Fulton.

Dallas County Sheriff Scott Rice revealed that DNA evidence confirmed Rainwater’s flesh was found in a freezer, and the rest of her remains were scattered on a nearby property belonging to Bill Rainwater, Cassidy’s grandfather.

In mid-September 2021, FBI investigators contacted detectives in Dallas County, saying they received photos from an anonymous person showing Rainwater in a cage, and after searching Phelps’ phone, officials discovered photos of Rainwater. Co-defendant Timothy Norton is also facing first-degree murder charges in the case, and a court appearance has been scheduled for May.