Homicide for Holidays on Oxygen: Where is James Robertson now?

The 1997 murder of Terry Robertson and Earl Robertson at the hands of their son, James Robertson, has remained in the news over the years as James continues appealing his sentence to date. A Homicide for the Holidays episode explores the premise as they look into murders that occur during the holiday season, and this particular Rock Hill double murder case is one of the most gruesome cases on that list.

James Robertson, the eldest son of the Robertsons, left the mutilated, beaten, and hammered bodies of his parents in their Rock Hill home allegedly in the hopes of inheriting their $2.2 million dollar estate.

James Robertson was put on death sentence for two murders, armed robbery, and credit card fraud. His then-girlfriend, Meredith Moon, was charged with two counts of accessory to murder and armed robbery as she waited for James while he committed the murders.

The first episode of season 2 of Homicide for the Holidays, titled Thanks-Killing, re-airs on November 23, 2023, at 8 pm EST and offers a brief synopsis, reading:

"Earl and Terry Robertson are found brutally murdered in their home just before Thanksgiving. It it investigated whether this is a holiday robbery gone terribly wrong, or a crime committed by someone the couple knew and trusted."

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James Robertson is also the main accused in the murder of his cellmate

James Robertson, the bright young man from the suburbs of Charlotte, North Carolina, made his way to Atlanta Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech or GT) but made an awful return that shocked the small town of Rock Hill. James, popularly known as Jimmy Robertson, was a math whizz who got through the engineering program at the prestigious institution and was walking on a path that his father, Earl Robertson had walked upon.

Jimmy Robertson had a younger brother named Earl L. Robertson Jr. - and they both led affluent lives and graduated from prestigious institutes.

Jimmy Robertson during his conviction in 1999 (Image via Rock Hill Herald)

As Terry Robertson failed to show up at work for an important meeting, her co-worker decided to check on her and discovered the ugly sight at the Robertsons' Westminster Drive home.

While Earl Robertson lay in his underwear in the outer room, skull beaten to a pulp, his wife Terry's body was found next to a bed - throat slit, head hammered, and body found stabbed to death. The crime scene was bloody and ugly, with blood splattered to the ceiling.

Earl Robertson's body was left with deep bruises from a baseball bat. A hammer was used on his head in such a manner that it spilt his brains out.

Earl and Terry Robertson (Image via Robertson family)

Similarly, Terry's skull was bludgeoned with the same claw end of the hammer. Terry Robertson's body additionally had stab wounds on her face, neck, back and arms, and her throat was slit.

As the investigation began, it was a no-brainer for detectives to narrow it down to their eldest son Jimmy as he had moved in with his parents recently after being expelled from his university as he failed to complete his classes.

James Robertson allegedly indulged in petty crimes and was addicted to prescription drugs and illegal substances, leading to his expulsion. After he moved home, he was financially cut off by his parents, causing an area of resentment.

A still of James Robertson in prison (Image via A+E)

Jimmy Robertson was alleged to be suffering from manic depression by his defence lawyers and the investigations revealed that he had killed his parents in a fit of rage after he had abused Ritalin - a medication that was used by his mother, Terry Robertson, as well.

James Robertson was charged with two counts of murder, armed robbery, and credit card fraud and had been sentenced to death on March 26, 1999.

He has been held at the Charlotte Correctional Institution in Punta Gorda, Florida and has also been the main accused in his cellmate Frank Hart's murder.