Interview Transcript: James Broadnax
Reporter:
Let me get you to go ahead and tell us your first and last name.
James Broadnax:
James Broadnax. B-R-O-A-D-N-A-X.
Reporter:
Alright, James, you're 19?
James Broadnax:
Yep.
Reporter:
Okay, tell me why you agreed to do an interview today.
James Broadnax:
Because I want to tell my story.
Reporter:
What is your story?
James Broadnax:
I don't want nobody, you know what I'm saying, sugar cold shit. I'm going to tell you what it is, you know what I'm saying, straight up. Okay. I don't need my cousin, my auntie, and none of them motherfuckers who tell shit for me.
Reporter:
What do you want to say?
James Broadnax:
What y'all want to know? Y'all interviewing me.
Reporter:
Tell me what happened in the parking lot of that recording studio.
James Broadnax:
What happened? Killed they bitch ass. Shit.
Reporter:
Why?
James Broadnax:
(Laughs) It's funny, man. All of them going to ask me the same thing. Oh, you want me to just tell you the whole story?
Reporter:
Yes.
The lead up to the murders
James Broadnax:
Alright. See, what happened was, you know what I'm saying, got up.
See, I ain't just wake up, you know what I'm saying, playing like I'm finna go kill somebody today.
There was no shit like that, you know what I'm saying.
Just happened like that, sort of, kind of, you know what I'm saying.
So, shit, just like a normal day. Gotta go smoke my weed, you know what I'm saying.
I lit a couple bitches or whatever, you know what I'm saying.
James Broadnax:
Me and my cousin, we hopped on the bus, you know what I'm saying.
Like, shit, we was going to, the scenario, we was going to already go down anyway, you know what I'm saying.
But, who to say if somebody was going to be dead, you know what I'm saying.
We just going to hit a lick, you know what I'm saying. Or shit, whatever came with it.
So, we on the bus, you know what I'm saying, in downtown Dallas. Like, shit.
Man, fuck that, you know what I'm saying. Let's hop on the train.
James Broadnax:
Let's go to downtown Garland, you know what I'm saying. And we going to rob somebody.
We hop the niggas with the money, just being real.
Let's go out there where the rich white folks stay in, you know what I'm saying.
Rob one of them, you know what I'm saying.
James Broadnax:
So, we get out there and shit, time just ticking, ticking. Like, man, fuck it, you know what I'm saying.
Shit, something got to go down, dog, because this is a long-ass walk back to South Dallas, you know what I'm saying.
James Broadnax:
So, shit, we walking through, you know where the recording thing is, right, you know what I'm saying, in the bank right behind it.
So, we walking through the parking lot, you know what I'm saying.
And, shit, somebody, I guess the motherfucker who was on the passenger side of the car, whatever,
so he was out there burning something, you know what I'm saying, and he threw the shit in the dumpster, you know what I'm saying.
James Broadnax:
I'm like, dog, you know you can get a ticket for that, right, that's vandalism, you know what I'm saying.
So, we got the, uh, talking it up and shit, you know what I'm saying, talking about the studio,
because I was rapping, so all that good shit, you know what I'm saying.
So, like, shit, fuck, you know what I'm saying.
We was finna get ready to leave.
The Murders
James Broadnax:
I went back and asked him, like, man, y'all got a, uh, one of y'all got a cigarette, you know what I'm saying, like, yeah.
So, shit, he went to go reach for it, pulled the pistol, shot him, shot the driver or whoever the fuck he was.
Shit, he, like, the one I shot at first, he staggered back, you know what I'm saying, like, dropped, got back up like he was finna run.
The one I hit second, you know what I'm saying, he raised up like he was finna do something, so I shot him in the head, you know what I'm saying.
James Broadnax:
Then the other one, shit, shot him twice in the head, just to make sure, fuck that, you know what I'm saying.
I don't need that shit, you know what I'm saying. Let that shit down, you know what I'm saying.
So, me and my cousin ran their pockets, you know what I'm saying.
James Broadnax:
He got the keys, he got their wallets and shit, hopped in the driver, hopped in the passenger side. We dipped.
Reporter:
So, they did nothing to you or nothing to provoke you, but you just felt that you could take their life?
James Broadnax:
See man, you know what I'm saying, I just blanked out, you know what I'm saying, like, when that shit happened. Because, man, I ain't ever killed nobody before, you know what I'm saying.
I done shot at some people before, ain't no problem if you pull the pistol, you know what I'm saying. I don't give a fuck about no gunplay, you know what I'm saying. Shit.
No remorse
Reporter:
You killed two young men now.
James Broadnax:
Better they life than mine.
Reporter:
Do you have any remorse? None whatsoever?
James Broadnax:
Do it look like it.
Reporter:
What would you say to either of these families? They leave behind babies and widows..
James Broadnax:
Shit, I got a family, too.
Reporter:
What do you think's gonna happen to you now?
James Broadnax:
Whatever they throw at me. Hopefully the death penalty.
Reporter:
Hopefully? Why do you hope?
James Broadnax:
'Cause they give me life, I'm gonna kill somebody else.
Straight up. I'm telling you right now.
I can't do no motherfucking life. I'm gonna go crazy.
Reporter:
So you want the death penalty?
James Broadnax:
They better. Pick one. Or you're gonna have some more bodies.
Reporter:
So in here, you're gonna kill somebody?
James Broadnax:
Nah. Whichever penitentiary they send me to.
They better put me on death row..
Tell you just like I'm gonna tell the judge. And then the motherfuckers that go out in any way, already told me, "Aw you fucked up". Well, maybe so. Everybody gotta die someday.
Reporter:
I think people tonight will hear your side of the story and almost think this is sick that you feel this way. How do you respond to that? How I respond?
James Broadnax:
How I respond? Fuck em! Fuck em, Fuck em! Even if they celebrate. I know the game is crazy. It's no crazier than the silver bit. I married to that crazy bitch. I became a federally.
Reporter:
Anything else you wanted to say?
James Broadnax:
I just wanted to tell my mama, my brother. And I'm gonna give y'all their names. So they'll know who the fuck I'm talking about.
Aijra kelli. Aaron Easter. Nakia Martin. And Kareem Martin. I love y'all, dawg. Take care of my motherfucking nephews and niece.
Reporter:
Is it your aunt who turned you in?
James Broadnax:
To be honest, I don't even know. You know what I'm saying? The story I got, my auntie. My auntie snitched on me. My cousin. Soon as they locked us up in Garland. You know what I'm saying? In the feds. Or the lieutenant got up in his face talking about all that time.
He broke down and started crying. You know what I'm saying? Just like a ho.
Reporter:
Did he pull the trigger?
James Broadnax:
Nah, I pulled the trigger. He was just there. That's accomplished the murder, though. You know what I'm saying? But I'm probably getting the death penalty. He gonna probably get 25 to life. Ain't no telling.
Reporter:
But you pulled the trigger?
James Broadnax:
Yeah.
Reporter:
And you robbed these guys?
James Broadnax:
Merk both of them. Nah, we robbed them. I killed them.
James Broadnax:
I popped they bitch ass, you know what I'm saying? He ran they pockets. We hopped in the slab and dipped.
Reporter:
How much money did you get from them?
James Broadnax:
Shit, I don't know. I wasn't finna go to no damn ATM. I ain't that.. You know what I'm saying? That don't make sense.
Reporter:
What'd you think when the police caught up to you?
James Broadnax:
What'd I think? When they hit the lights, I said, damn. (laughs) And started laughing. You know what I'm saying? Just like I'm doing now. And looked them in their face with a big ass smirk. Y'all ain't got shit on me, dog. But I do want to see the evidence. Yeah, I killed them. But what evidence y'all got on me? I know y'all ain't got no videotape. No fingerprints, but in the car.
Reporter:
I just can't believe you killed two people and you're laughing about it.
James Broadnax:
Yeah. Just like when they stick that damn needle in my arm, they gonna laugh at me. Look at that nigga. Dumb motherfucker. I know how y'all are here, dog. Fuck em. Just like I said.
James Broadnax:
Fuck his family, too. Both of them.
Reporter:
How much of your life have you spent in jail?
James Broadnax:
Shit, I was locked up in juvie for a good six months. Spent a couple days in jail, regular jail for a couple of positional control substance. You know what I'm saying? And that's it. I ain't got no dirty ass record. You know what I'm saying? Look at my shit, it's clean.
Reporter:
Not anymore.
James Broadnax:
Yeah. Fuck it. Only God can judge me.
Reporter:
What do you think? How do you think you'll be judged?
James Broadnax:
Fuck him, too. The devil and his army, too. Fuck all of them.
Reporter:
Some people might say you are the devil.
James Broadnax:
Maybe. Look me in my eyes and tell me what you see.
Reporter:
I don't think that'll be cut out for television.
How long have you been- you came here what day?
James Broadnax:
Man, I've been in this bitch about two or three days. I ain't even counting. I'm just waiting on this sentence meeting.
Come on with my lawyer... man I don't even need a fucking lawyer.
Reporter:
Do you have a lawyer?
James Broadnax:
I ain't got the money for one, I sure as hell ain't got no million dollars for no fucking bun or no honey jeans either. Shit, if I did, I wouldn't have robbed a nigga and murk 'em.
Reporter:
What were you robbing him for, drug money?
James Broadnax:
Money, car, and whatever the fuck ass came with him, you know what I'm saying? There wouldn't be no drugs if that's the case. I know plenty of dope boys to go hit. They're holding the keys and pounds, you know what I'm saying? But why do that when I might get caught with the dope and still get a kingpin charge, you know what I'm saying?
Reporter:
Do you regret robbing them? Do you wish you would have never gone to Garland that time?
James Broadnax:
Do I regret? Yeah.
Reporter:
But you don't regret killing them? You just wish you would have avoided that situation?
James Broadnax:
I wish I wouldn't have had that pistol on me. Then I wouldn't have murked them. But some of that gonna still get robbed either way it go, you know what I'm saying? Because that's what the old agenda was.
Reporter:
And right now as we're talking, they're burying these two men in their funerals. Still not an ounce of sympathy? Not an ounce of remorse for them or their families?
James Broadnax:
No. Fuck 'em! Them and they fucking family!
Reporter:
Alright, thank you.