Howard Ashleman is an American convict who was charged with the murder of James Chambers in the year 2018. He was the local guy of 1300 Block of Main Street at Wade, Cumberland County, and even labored with James.
The case grabbed the headlines after Dateline Episode Covering the James Chambers Case which aired on January 21, 2024.
The Disappearance and Killing of James Chambers
On August 15, 2014, James Chambers, a 28-year-old construction worker living in Fayetteville, North Carolina, was reported missing. Howard Ashleman, his colleague, claimed James left with him to work a weekend job as a lifeguard at a lake, but James never returned. The subsequent investigation uncovered that Howard had actually killed James.
Howard Ashleman and James Chambers worked together for a construction company at Fort Bragg. They expressed some degree of animosity towards each other based on accounts from coworkers. On August 15th, Howard picked up James from his home, telling James’ roommate and girlfriend that they were heading to a lifeguarding job.
After James’ girlfriend notified his parents that he had not returned from the lifeguarding gig, his parents contacted the police. Howard was initially interviewed as a witness and let go. Investigators noted that his statements didn’t line up with his cell phone records and placed him in a different area. James’ father noted that Howard was only supposed to drop off James that day, not accompany him to a job.
Howard Ashleman claimed the shooting occurred accidentally when James asked him to accompany him to collect a debt. Specifically, on the night of August 15, 2014, Ashleman stated he was driving Chambers to his lifeguarding job at a nearby lake. At some point, he stopped the truck, retrieved a gun from the truck bed, and fired it into the truck cab just to scare Chambers as a joke. However, the bullet struck and killed Chambers.
Later in the investigation, detectives learned Howard had sold the pickup truck used to transport James on the day of the disappearance. A friend of Howard’s claimed to have witnessed Howard killing and dismembering James but refused to talk directly with the police.
Howard Ashleman’s Guilty Plea and Sentencing
In 2018, Fayetteville detectives informed Howard’s girlfriend, Hannah Jones, that he was a suspect in James Chambers’ murder. Hannah then secretly recorded a conversation with Howard in which he nodded confirming that he had killed Chambers.
This recording prompted Howard to agree to return to Fayetteville and confess. Prosecutors began negotiating a plea deal. In February 2018, Howard officially pled guilty to second-degree murder.
As part of the plea agreement, Howard said he would show detectives where Chambers’ body was left. Howard admitted to initially burning and burying the remains. Later he dug up the body, dismembered it, put it in plastic bags, and threw the bags into the Cape Fear River. However, Chambers’ remains were never recovered.
For the second-degree murder charge, Howard was sentenced to a minimum of 15 years and 6 months, and a maximum of 19 years and 8 months in prison. He also received an additional 6-month penalty for the delay in his surrender to police.
Howard Ashleman’s Current Whereabouts
As of 2024, Howard Ashleman remains incarcerated at Columbus Correctional Institution near Brunswick, North Carolina for the murder of James Chambers.
He entered a guilty plea to second-degree murder in February 2018. Ashleman’s sentence ranges from a minimum of 15 years and 6 months to a maximum of 19 years and 8 months in prison.
Also Read: Inside Transgender Teen’s Murder, Nikki Kuhnhausen Family
He also received an additional 6-month penalty for originally failing to surrender to authorities as promised while negotiations were underway.
Now 30 years old, Ashleman has served 5 years of his sentence so far. He will be eligible for parole starting on August 7th, 2033 according to North Carolina state records.
While more than a decade remains on his sentence, Howard Ashleman continues to serve time behind bars at the same Columbus Correctional Institution as of 2024.
What bring about Suspicion of Howard Ashleman
Howard Ashleman was questioned early on because he was the last known person to see James Chambers alive. He claimed he dropped Chambers at home to go to a neighbor’s gathering. But Ashleman’s cell records contradicted this, placing him near Murphy Road instead.
Further investigation uncovered Ashleman had sold the pick-up truck used to transport Chambers on the day of his disappearance to a scrapyard.
Additionally, the Chambers family’s hired investigator, David Marshburn, managed to get a confession from Ashleman’s friend, Reno Parks, who said he witnessed Ashleman shoot and dismember James Chambers before disposing of the remains.
Ultimately, Ashleman’s girlfriend Hannah Jones secretly recorded him acknowledging that he killed James Chambers, which Ashleman had confessed to her over several prior conversations. Hannah provided the recording to authorities.
Dateline Episode Covering the James Chambers Case
The murder of James Chambers at the hands of Howard Ashleman is featured in an upcoming episode of NBC’s Dateline.
Titled “The Bridge,” the episode focuses on the 2014 North Carolina case and the lengthy search for answers about what happened to the 28-year-old construction worker from Fayetteville.
According to listings, the Dateline episode “The Bridge” will re-air with updated content on January 21, 2024, at 8 pm EST.
The episode has interviews with James Chambers’ family members as well as detectives central to the investigation.
The show gives an in-depth look into the four-year investigation leading up to Howard Ashleman’s arrest and conviction. Complete details on Chambers’ disappearance, the suspicions surrounding Ashleman, and his eventual confession are expected to be covered.
Howard Ashleman Married Life with his Wife Hannah
Howard Ashleman was born Howard Adrian Ashleman on May 11, 1993, in the United States. As of 2024, he is 30 years old.
After Ashleman killed James Chambers in North Carolina in 2014, he relocated to Florida according to officials. While there, he married Hannah Jones.
Florida District Attorney Billy West stated Ashleman “claimed to have found religion” during this period. He purportedly enrolled in Bible college as well.
Over multiple conversations, Ashleman confessed details of murdering Chambers to his new wife. She recorded him at least once without his knowledge.
The wife ultimately brought the recordings to Florida authorities. This revelation led Ashleman to agree to confess the crime and plead guilty in exchange for a plea deal.
