What would you do if you found a marriage license in a dead woman's car, only to realize the "groom" listed on it was currently at home with his wife of 22 years?
That isn't some twisted plot from a paperback thriller. It was the reality for investigators in Monroe County, Missouri. The case of James Addie and Molly Watson is a messy, tragic story about a double life that ended in a cold-blooded execution. Honestly, it’s one of those stories that makes you question how well you actually know the people you love.
In April 2018, Molly Watson was 35 and on top of the world. She was 48 hours away from marrying James Addie, a man she’d been with for seven years. They had met while working as corrections officers at the Moberly Correctional Center. She had the dress. She had the marriage license. She even had the seating charts ready.
But James Addie had a secret. He wasn't divorced. He wasn't even "separated." He was a man living a complete lie, and as the wedding date loomed, that lie was about to collapse.
The Night Everything Fell Apart
On the night of April 27, 2018, a motorist named Glen McSparren was driving near a low-water crossing in rural Monroe County. He came across two cars stopped in a remote area. A man—later identified as James Addie—got out of a dark vehicle and told McSparren, "I don't know where they are at, it is going to be awhile."
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Basically, he was trying to wave the guy off.
McSparren felt something was off. He came back later that night and found a horrific scene: Molly Watson’s body lying in the road in front of her car. She had been shot once in the back of the head at point-blank range.
Inside her car, police found the marriage license. When they showed up at Addie's door in Moberly to deliver what they thought was "bad news," his wife, Melanie, answered the door.
Talk about a shock.
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A Seven-Year Lie
You’ve gotta wonder how someone pulls this off for seven years. James told Molly he was divorced. He told his wife he was working late or doing "prison stuff." He even told Molly his "ex-wife" had died the week of the wedding so he could explain away his absences.
He was texting Molly about his "ex-wife's funeral" just 24 hours before he lured her to that gravel road and killed her.
- The Motive: Prosecutors argued Addie was a "coward" who couldn't face the fallout of his double life.
- The Evidence: A tire track at the scene matched Addie's 2000 Mercury Sable.
- The Timeline: Cell phone "pings" and his own daughter's testimony placed him away from home during the window of the murder.
The Trial and the Sentence
During the trial in 2021, the jury didn't take long—about two and a half hours—to find James Addie guilty of first-degree murder and armed criminal action. In Missouri, first-degree murder is a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole.
Addie tried to appeal. In November 2022, the Missouri Court of Appeals Western District upheld the conviction. He argued that the tire track evidence shouldn't have been allowed, but the court basically told him the science was sound enough for a conviction.
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His family was devastated. His daughter, Emma, actually testified against him. His ex-wife, Melanie, had to find out her husband was a murderer and a bigamist in the same breath.
Molly's family suffered even more. Her brother, Tim Watson, later shared that both of their parents died within two years of Molly—her father of a heart attack and her mother just months later. He believes James Addie effectively killed his entire family.
Why This Case Still Haunts Missouri
People still talk about this because it highlights the extreme lengths someone will go to avoid the consequences of their own choices. James Addie didn't have to kill Molly. He could have just... stopped. He could have confessed. Instead, he chose a permanent solution to a problem he created.
If there's anything to learn from the tragedy of James Addie and Molly Watson, it’s the importance of transparency. It’s a grim reminder that "too good to be true" often is.
How to Protect Yourself and Seek Help
If you suspect a partner is living a double life or if you feel unsafe in a relationship where lies are mounting, here are some actionable steps:
- Trust Your Gut: If the stories don't add up (like an "ex-wife" dying right before a wedding), don't ignore it.
- Verify Public Records: In the digital age, divorce records and marriage licenses are often public. A quick search at the county clerk’s office can save a lot of heartache.
- Safety First: If you plan to confront someone about a major lie and you feel even slightly threatened, do it in a public place or over the phone. Never go to a remote location alone to "talk."
James Addie remains behind bars in Missouri, serving life without parole. Molly Watson's story serves as a cautionary tale of a life stolen by a man who preferred murder over the truth.