Missing in Manassas Park on ID is examining the murder of Lisa Maureen Moore, who was choked to death by her estranged husband, James Moore, and buried in a shallow grave in Manassas Park, Virginia.
On January 6, 1998, Lisa and James had been separated for about three months and were planning a divorce. Lisa went to James’s house that evening, and the pair got into a heated argument.
James would later claim that his wife had slapped him across the face, causing him to snap and choke her to death.
The killer drove Lisa’s pickup truck to a nearby Days Inn hotel and abandoned it in the parking lot. After running home, he dumped his wife’s body in the trunk of his car and left it there for an undetermined time.
Lisa’s body was likely still in the trunk as James joined the authorities and family members in searching for his wife. The killer expertly played the role of a grieving husband who just wanted to know what happened to Lisa. He moved back into the family home to be with their three children, and Lisa’s family rallied around him during this so-called difficult time.
James Moore finally confessed to killing Lisa Moore
However, the police were suspicious of James and began to exert pressure on him. About a year after killing Lisa, James turned himself in to the Manassa Park police.
He explained how he had wrapped Lisa’s body in a plastic sheet and buried her in a shallow grave. He led the cops to her skeletal remains.
Watch the Latest on our YouTube ChannelJames claimed he’d always intended to turn himself in but had wanted to wait a little bit so his children didn’t suffer the loss of both parents in a short space of time. He said he’d spent a year preparing the kids for life without him.
The cops said the killer cracked because they were piling on the pressure.
James Moore was convicted of murder and sentenced to 25 years behind bars with a further 15 years suspended.
Lisa Moore family expressed anger at killer James Moore
Lisa’s family expressed their rage at how James had deceived them for a year. Lisa’s mother, Peggy Maitland, said, “My heart is broken, and my life will never be the same again. She was in the trunk of his car in my driveway.”
James apologized to the family and added, “I knew that someday I would end up in jail. You know I’m not a coldhearted person, and this is killing me.”
At the time of sentencing, the three children were living with James’s brother, but Lisa’s family said they intended to fight for custody.
Missing in Manassas Park airs Saturday at 10/9c on Investigation Discovery.