ALEX HURLEY WAS TORTURED BY THE VERY PEOPLE MEANT TO LOOK AFTER HIM
The third of February 2020 is a day that is forever etched in the collective memory of the small community of West Yellowstone, in Montana. It was the day the battered body of 12-year-old James Alexander Hurley, known as Alex, was found at the property of his paternal gran Patricia Batts and her husband James Sasser. In August this year, after court proceedings involving every member of the household, Batts was found guilty of deliberate homicide. As the judge handed down a sentence of life behind bars, Batts’ only statement was,“Iregretnotbeingthegrandmother Alex should have had”.
Batts is the last of four family members to be sentenced following the systematic abuse and torture of Alex that ultimately led to his death. Batts’ husband Sasser was given 100 years behind bars for deliberate homicide, and the evil pair’s two children – son James Sasser III, 15, and daughter Madison, 18 – were also charged over their involvement in the horrific events. James, who was 14 at the time of the crime, negotiated a plea deal, which resulted in juvenile detention and probation upon adulthood. Originally charged with negligent homicide, Madison received probation in return for agreeing to testify against her parents.
Attorney Elisabeth Montoya told the court that Madison had witnessed her parents’ torturous behaviour, including punching, slapping, and kicking Alex. She said Madison also saw her parents “put him in chokeholds and deprive him of love and attention”. Elisabeth added that Madison belonged to “a family that resorted to and normalised violence, torture, intimidation and fear in their children”, adding that her client was immature for her age, and was living in a home akin to a “war zone”. She told the court that Madison’s parents had fostered an environment where “Alex was the enemy, Madison’s parents were the generals, and the other kids in the household… were soldiers”.
A fifth defendant, 18-year-old family friend Gage Roush, was charged with striking Alex with a wooden paddle and received a sentence of five years, which was deferred. District Judge John C Brown said of the murder, “This is a horrific case of child abuse. It was totally unnecessary, and it was done with malevolence.” Just how this bright, beautiful young boy ended up dying alone on a living room floor is devastatingly harrowing.
TRAGEDY
Alex’s short life had already been beset by tragedy and misfortune. Alex’s parents Tommy and Alicia were friends, but were never in a romantic relationship, and both had older children when Alex was born. While Alex lived with his mother in Texas, his father had moved back to Montana to be closer to his family. Tommy saw Alex as much as he was able and maintained a good relation
