PRESS RELEASE: Plainfield man convicted at retrial for fatally stabbing girlfriend

A Union County jury has returned a guilty verdict against a man for the stabbing death of his girlfriend in 2011, Union County Prosecutor William A. Daniel announced today.

Anthony James, 62 of Plainfield, was found guilty on Tuesday on one count first-degree murder, third-degree possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose, and fourth-degree unlawful possession of a weapon following a 5-week trial before Union County Superior Court Judge John Deitch. The jury deliberated for a day and a half before returning its verdict.

At approximately 5pm on September 28, 2011, Plainfield Police patrol units responded to James’ home on the 300 block of East Seventh Street in Plainfield – in response to a 9-1-1 call made by James — and found the body of 48-year-old Audrey Tanksley, according to Assistant Prosecutors Alaina Caliendo and Nicholas Hooker, who prosecuted the case.

This was a retrial after the Appellate Division remanded the matter for a new trial after his first conviction in 2019.

Sentencing for this case has been scheduled for June 23, 2023 before Judge John Deitch, at which time James can face a sentence of up to life in state prison.