CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The defense attorney for James Dunmore, the man charged with killing Allisha Watts after she disappeared while visiting him in Charlotte last summer, was in court on Monday.
Dunmore was given a $1 million bond in October 2023. If convicted of Watts' murder, he could face life in prison without parole.
Watts was last seen alive leaving Dunmore's Charlotte home on July 16, 2023. Family members said she had tickets to a comedy show at Bojangles Coliseum but never made it. She was reported missing by family members three days later. Investigators found Watts' body in a remote area near a cemetery in the town of Norman in late August.
Montgomery County Sheriff Pete Herron said officials believed her body had been there since July 18, the same day Dunmore was found unresponsive in Watts' SUV in Anson County.
In a courtroom closed to cameras Monday, Dunmore's defense attorney asked a judge to expedite the release of materials related to the case.
Dunmore was not in court because of the preliminary nature of the proceeding, according to his attorney.
The defense said they still haven't received an official cause of death for Watts, despite months of waiting and requested Dunmore's bond be reconsidered if evidence is not brought forward soon by investigators.
“I don’t think bond was set high enough in the very beginning, so why discuss a lower bond," Watts' mentor Dorothy Brower said.
Brower joined other friends and supporters in the courtroom Monday, including Dunmore's estranged wife, who told WCNC Charlotte she was abused by him and fears for her life if he's ever released.
Like the defense, they're also wanting to see more evidence released, but hoping it will help keep Dunmore behind bars and help move the case forward.
The judge gave investigators 45 days to share materials, calling the wait "negligent" or "intentional."
“Now, it’s about accountability," Rachel Moore, who knows Dunmore, but came in support of Watts, said. "We need closure. We need to know why. Allisha was a big part of this community.”
Contact Kayland Hagwood at khagwood@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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