James Spencer III spent weeks pretending to be a child online, exchanging sexual messages with a convicted sex offender he planned to murder.

The 22-year-old from Texas shot and killed Sean Connery Showers, 37, in May 2023 after luring him to a meeting spot through the messaging app Kik.

The Setup

Spencer pretended to be a minor online and engaged in sexual communications with Showers, who he believed was a child predator.

When the two arranged to meet, Spencer drove to the location and shot Showers multiple times, leaving him dead in a ditch at 900 Northwood Street.

Four Seconds of Violence

Surveillance video shows Spencer's car drove up at about 3:50 a.m., stopped, and within four seconds fired numerous "automatic-like" shots before speeding off.

Showers had been convicted of felony possession of child pornography in 2009, with images depicting children ranging from toddlers to pre-teens.

In 2019, he was convicted again for failure to comply as a sex offender after entering Bellaire High School during school hours without notifying administrators of his presence and registration status.

Vigilante Justice

Spencer told investigators he took matters into his own hands because he didn't believe police were doing enough to keep child predators behind bars.

About a month after the murder, Spencer made a comment that "if the cops were not going to do anything maybe he should kill them himself," referring to pedophiles.

Spencer was arrested on January 31 by the Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Task Force without incident and admitted to his role in the incident.

Legal Consequences

Chief Prosecutor Rehman Merchant stated: "Regardless of the likability of the victim, we're a nation of laws. No one gets to be judge, jury, and executioner depending on how they feel."

Spencer's bond conditions include 24-hour house arrest, GPS monitoring, and having no access to firearms, ammunition, or weapons.

Investigators are now working to retrieve records from Spencer's phone to determine if he is connected to any other cases.