the Informer

[caption id="attachment_3860493" align="alignright" width="460" caption="Tiana Notice's father reads an apology letter written to him from the killer of his daughter, James Carter. | Courtesy of The Hartford Courant"][/caption] James Carter III, who murdered a University of Hartford graduate student almost three years ago, received the maximum sentence for his crime on Jan. 13. Carter killed ex-girlfriend Tiana Notice on Valentine’s Day of 2009 by stabbing her repeatedly outside her Plainville apartment. More than 40 of Notice’s family members attended the hearing, while the one person who was not present was Carter himself. His inability to be present for the sentencing, though Judge Frank D’Addabbo granted him permission, contributed to the decision to slap him with the highest possible charge for murder: 60 years, plus another five for violating a restraining order Notice had against him at the time. Also used against Carter in his case were letters he wrote to family members from prison that presented Notice in a negative light. Judge D’Addabbo referenced the letters in which Carter said “I don’t feel sorry for what I did,” as well as saying Notice’s family “must be taught a lesson,” according to the Hartford Courant. D’Addabbo also referenced Carter’s tarnished criminal record, using his several charges of assault, harassment and violation of a restraining order, all occurring since 2002, as justification for the 60-year sentence. The members of the family who were present took the sentencing as a great success, specifically Notice’s 20-year-old brother, Christian Muriel, who told the Courant “I believe justice was served, both for my sister and for the family…she can rest in peace now.”Notice’s father, Alvin, who has been advocating against domestic violence since his daughter’s death, said “I hope that he will spend the rest of his life in prison thinking each and every day about what he has done.” On Valentine’s Day 2009, after several reports from Notice about Carter’s failure to comply with the restraining order she had against him, Carter drove his PT Cruiser her house, stabbed her several times, and drove off. Notice was able to call 911 before passing away from the wounds. There was sufficient evidence against Carter in the trial, including the security camera that caught the crime on tape, neighbors who saw his car leave the scene and a claim by his own brother that he had confessed to him over a phone call that same night. Since Carter’s conviction, Notice’s family has filed lawsuits against Waterbury and Bloomfield police departments, claiming they failed to protect Notice when she went to them for help concerning Carter. They’ve also worked to strengthen domestic violence laws in the states of Connecticut and Massachusetts. The Notices started the Tiana Angelique Notice Foundation to aid victims of domestic violence, and have since raised $25,000.