James “Jim” Foote was out for a fun night of karaoke in November 2004 when he was shot and killed in the parking lot of the Office Pub in Fort Myers, Florida. His case, which lacked witnesses or evidence, went unsolved for years until the card with his story on it landed in the hands of the right people who’d been incarcerated with his killer.
To apply for the Cold Case Playing Cards grant through Season of Justice, visit www.seasonofjustice.org.
Episode Info
According to court documents, Foote was killed in this parking lot in Fort Myers, Florida. At the time of his death, it was a bar called Office Pub. Photo Courtesy: audiochuck staff
Foote’s photo sits in a heart-shaped frame by his wife Donna’s bedside. Photo Courtesy: audiochuck staff
Donna and James liked to go on cruises with friends. This photo is framed at Donna’s house. Photo Courtesy: audiochuck staff
Tommy Ray, a former agent with FDLE, came up with the idea to put unsolved murders on playing card decks. When Foote’s card hit the prisons in 2007, informants helped solve it. Photo Courtesy: audiochuck staff
A news clipping Donna Foote has held onto about her husband’s case being solved thanks to the playing card deck. Photo Courtesy: audiochuck staff
Derrick L. Hamilton was arrested October 19, 2007 for the murder of James Foote. Photo Courtesy: Lee County Clerk of Court
A probable cause statement and record of first appearance about the arrest of Derrick Lamar Hamilton for the murder of James Foote. (Part 1) Photo Courtesy: Lee County Clerk of Court
A probable cause statement and record of first appearance about the arrest of Derrick Lamar Hamilton for the murder of James Foote. (Part 2) Photo Courtesy: Lee County Clerk of Court