The father of a murdered 15-year-old girl has been sentenced to 24 months in prison for failing to pay court-ordered compensation related to a deadly traffic accident.

Claude Steadroy James, whose daughter Achazia James was found brutally killed on Runway Beach in August 2024, appeared before Justice Tunde Bakre on Thursday. He broke down in court, citing emotional and financial hardship following his daughter’s death as the reason for his non-payment.

James had been ordered to pay $15,000 in compensation and a $4,000 fine after being convicted in June 2024 of causing death by dangerous driving. The victim, Elba Perez, a woman in her 60s, died after sustaining severe injuries in a crash on Joseph Lane in 2021.

Despite pleading for leniency and recounting failed efforts to meet the payments, including visits to court and requests for extensions, the judge enforced the default prison term set at sentencing.

Achazia’s death, marked by multiple chop wounds and a severed hand, remains under investigation.