A Florida man has been sentenced to about 20 years in prison for a heartbreaking and shocking crime—killing his own grandfather, whom he lovingly called “Grampy,” and then speaking at his funeral as if he wasn’t responsible.
On Monday, 24-year-old Joshua Nareau admitted guilt by pleading no contest to second-degree murder for the death of his grandfather, 71-year-old James S. Khoury. The tragic incident unfolded in North Port, Florida. Circuit Judge Shannon H. McFee handed Nareau a sentence of 246 months, which equals a little over 20 years, with credit given for the time he had already spent in jail.
What made the case even more disturbing was Nareau’s behavior at Khoury’s funeral. He stood in front of mourners, took a deep breath, and spoke fondly of the man he had killed. “Jim, I called him Grampy. By blood, he was my grandfather, but as a person, he was my father,” Nareau told the crowd. He went on to praise Khoury as the man who had raised him and inspired him to be the person he was. The crowd likely had no idea of the dark truth.
James S. Khoury, a beloved deacon at the First Baptist Church of North Port, was deeply respected in his community. His life came to a sudden and tragic end early in the morning on December 28, 2023. Around 5:15 a.m., his wife called 911, reporting that her husband had been shot. Deputies found Khoury lying in front of his home with a gunshot wound to his chest. He still had a holstered gun on his hip, and his lunch box lay nearby. Paramedics arrived quickly, but Khoury was pronounced dead at the scene.
While investigators searched the area, they found Nareau sitting in the grass near the home. He claimed that his grandmother had called him after the shooting, prompting him to rush over from his nearby house. But the details he gave didn’t add up. For instance, Nareau said his grandmother had warned him there might be a sniper outside. However, when detectives interviewed her, she never mentioned anything about a sniper.
Khoury’s wife told investigators she had kissed her husband goodbye as he left the house that morning. Moments later, she heard a gunshot and her husband’s desperate cry. When she ran outside, she saw him on the ground with a gunshot wound to his chest. Terrified, she rushed back inside and called 911.
Detectives dug deeper into the case and began piecing together evidence. They found a bullet lodged in a pine tree south of the house. This suggested the shooter had fired from that direction—the same path Nareau would have taken to reach his grandparents’ home.
Data from Nareau’s cellphone became a crucial piece of the puzzle. It showed he had been moving around the area near his grandparents’ home around the time of the shooting, despite his claim that he was in bed. When confronted, Nareau couldn’t explain why the data showed otherwise.
Further testing on the bullet found in the tree revealed it had been fired from a Savage bolt-action rifle—one that Nareau owned. By February 14, 2024, lab results confirmed the bullet matched his rifle. Even though detectives couldn’t identify a clear motive, the evidence left no doubt about Nareau’s involvement.
Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell commended the efforts of his detectives and forensic team in solving the case. “This was a terrible incident, and while it doesn’t ease the family’s grief, I hope it brings some peace of mind to the community,” he said. “Please keep Mr. Khoury’s family in your prayers as they navigate this unimaginable loss.”
The case of Joshua Nareau and the senseless killing of James Khoury is a sobering reminder of how tragedy can strike even the most loving families. It leaves a community mourning the loss of a cherished man and grappling with the betrayal of a grandson who should have been part of his legacy, not the cause of his death.