Press Release

James White Pleads Guilty to Murder of 5½-Week-Old Baby

July 14, 2025

(Juneau, AK) – Today, 45-year-old James White entered a guilty plea to the charge of Murder in the Second Degree for the murder of 5 1/2-week-old baby Kathy White on April 15, 2024. The lesser charges of Manslaughter, Criminally Negligent Homicide and Unlawful Contact were dismissed as part of the plea agreement. White also pleaded guilty in a separate case to Assault in the Fourth Degree for a physical assault against his wife in November 2024.

Juneau Superior Court Judge Amy Mead took White’s plea and will determine White’s sentence after a sentencing hearing scheduled for Dec. 19, 2025. The agreement between the parties permits the court to sentence White to a sentence between 20 years and 99 years, with a maximum of 40 years of active jail time to serve. White is not entitled to bail prior to sentencing and will remain in the custody of the Alaska Department of Corrections.

The case was investigated by the Juneau Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Bailey Woolfstead of the Office of Special Prosecutions’ Rural Prosecution Unit with assistance from Paralegal Marley Hettinger of the Juneau District Attorney’s Office. The S.A.F.E. Child Advocacy Center assisted with forensic interviews, and AWARE provided advocacy services.

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Department Media Contact: Information Officer Sam Curtis at sam.curtis@alaska.gov or (907) 269-6269.

Due to resource constraints, we no longer post links to referenced records. Records filed in a federal court are readily available at Docket Search or PACER, and records filed in a State of Alaska court are readily available from the Alaska Court System (Trial Courts - Alaska Court System and Search for an Appellate Case). Contact Sam Curtis to request a referenced record that is not readily available from a court or on the internet, or contact law.recordsrequest@alaska.gov to submit a formal Alaska Public Records Act request.