James Edward Pough - Life

Life

Pough, who was born on February 16, 1948 in Jacksonville, Florida and was the first of nine children, grew up in an area near the Florida Community College. As a child Pough suffered from asthma and he had a close relationship to his mother, whom he helped out a lot after his father had left the family in 1959. He attended a vocational school, but dropped out in his sophomore year. At the age of 18 he began working as a common laborer, which he stayed until his death, though he earned a reputation as a very reliable worker and his business agent would later describe him as one of their best, somebody who was never late. During the last year of his life he was doing construction maintenance at a brewery.

According to former schoolmates Pough had affiliations with gangs during his time at school. He was arrested twice in 1965 for vagrancy, and twice again in 1966, once for attempted robbery and a second time for assault for murder, after attacking a construction worker who owed him a quarter. In 1968 Pough was arrested for dangerously displaying a knife and was fined $75, and in July 1969 he was fined $10 after being charged for gambling. In 1970 he was arrested, but not prosecuted, for motor vehicle theft and vagrancy-prowling by auto.

On May 8, 1971 Pough got into an argument with his best friend, David Lee Pender, who had called his girlfriend a bitch. In the following scuffle Pough grabbed a .38-caliber pistol from his girlfriend's purse and shot Pender three times, who eventually died in hospital. According to relatives he never managed to get over the fact that he had killed his friend. Pough was initially charged with murder, though the charge was later reduced to manslaughter. In the end he pled guilty to aggravated assault and was sentenced to five years probation, but the judgment of guilty was withheld by the court subject to the successful completion of probation. Due to Pough's violent behavior in the past, it was also ruled that he should never be allowed to own a gun, though this was never forwarded to police. As a consequence Pough was not considered a felon and therefore was able to purchase several handguns, among them the .38-caliber revolver he later used to commit suicide, which was registered with the police on June 4, 1979. In 1977 Pough was twice in court being charged for bad debt. There was also an outstanding warrant for his arrest in a 1982 employment compensation fraud case.

In December 1988 Pough traded his old car for a 1988 Pontiac Grand Am, though he soon had difficulties to make his payments, so in January 1990 the car was voluntarily repossessed by GMAC. He received a bill for $6,394 of outstanding fees in March, and again on April 6, which was the last contact between him and the office. About two months prior to the shootings Pough purchased a M1 carbine at a local pawnshop.

Pough, who was living in a rundown duplex in Jacksonville's Northwest Quadrant, was known by his neighbors as a quiet and nice man who kept a regular and fixed schedule, though also as someone who got angry fairly quickly and engaged in rage-filled conversations, especially in matters concerning money and his car. Relatives described him as a recluse with no friends.

After the death of his mother three years prior to the shootings Pough was said to have changed for the worse. Stating that he had nothing left to live for, he argued he would "take someone with him when he leaves this world". Frequently he had violent outbursts, which were directed against his wife, Theresa, and twice he threatened her by putting a gun to her head. In January 1990 they separated, as Mrs. Pough feared for her safety and on March 2, she was granted an injunction that disallowed James Pough to get in contact with her for a year. As a consequence he withdrew even more and rarely socialized.