The murder suspect with a mustache in red-and-peach jail attire chuckled to himself and leaned back to the left, as the Superior Court hearing came to a close on Sept. 2.
James Collier had just won a victory—the delay of his plea hearing by a few weeks—in the double-homicide case in which he’s accused of shooting Sean Pfeffer and Colter White, and leaving their bodies in the back of a pickup truck in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
His reaction caused distress among family members of one of the victims at the San Jose Hall of Justice.
However, this minor win for the defendant (who’s charged with two counts of felony murder, plus special circumstance allegations and enhancements) comes a few months after a bigger loss.
In May, his motion to reduce bail, filed by his lawyer Mara W. Feiger, was denied. She argued that he was being detained improperly.
In fact, her client was the victim of an illegal eviction attempt, she wrote.
“Mr. Collier is a 65-year-old father, and grandfather,” reads her filing, which was signed March 15 and accepted by the court exactly two months later. “Mr. Collier has no criminal record. Mr. Collier has been a resident at 820 Bear Creek Canyon Road, Boulder Creek California since 2013. The property owner, Jeremy Lincoln, is Mr. Collier’s landlord and roommate. However, in recent months, there has been a property dispute whereby a person named Linda Marie Lincoln-Sochacki has claimed half ownership of Jeremy Lincoln’s property. Ms. Lincoln-Sochacki had engaged Sean Pfeffer and Colter White to remove Mr. Collier from his lawful residence.”
There is no paperwork to show Lincoln-Sochacki went through the proper process to evict Collier, Feiger added.
“Law enforcement interviewed a number of witnesses including Linda Marie Lincoln-Sochacki who was friends with Sean Pfeffer. When interviewed she told them that she co-owns 820 Bear Creek Canyon Road, Boulder Creek, CA with her nephew, Jeremy Lincoln. Linda stated she last saw Sean Pfeffer on Friday, March 21, 2025. Pfeffer stayed the night at her house that night. Linda stated Pfeffer and Colter White were attempting to evict Collier on her behalf. Linda wanted to sell the property and needed Collier off the property, but Collier would not leave the property,” Collier’s lawyer wrote. “Mr. Collier’s arrest has accomplished what Linda Marie Lincoln-Sochacki planned all along, he has been ‘removed’ from his lawful residence.”
Another witness claimed to have seen Pfeffer leaving for the Lincoln-Collier residence armed with a baseball bat, Feiger added.
“Both Sean Pfeffer and Colter White have criminal records involving felony convictions, including assaults and crimes of violence,” she said. “Mr. Collier has deep ties to his community and to his family.”
She attached letters from 13 different people in support of Collier. One was Janice Joy Robinson, a friend who cared for Collier’s daughters.
“I really don’t know any of the surrounding story to the current situation, but I will say that I know how much he was and is an excellent Dad and that his girls love him,” she wrote. “I hope to be a supportive friend to him and his family and trust that a fair approach will be given as Jimmy is a deserving man.”
In her letter, Collier’s granddaughter, Jasmine Collier-Lozano, admitted Collier “wasn’t very present” in her life growing up. But, she noted, he did show his love for her in other ways.
“He gifted me my first and only motorcycle at the ripe age of 3 years old, built in with training wheels,” she said. “He has tried on multiple occasions to explain to me certain concepts of astrophysics that I am unable to grasp. What I admire most about him is his ability to feel deeply. When I showed him my college degree he couldn’t help but get emotional, allowing tears to stream down his face.”
Julie Cesari, a neighbor and friend, wrote to the court that Collier is a kind person who helps others in need.
“He has assisted me with flat tires, helped bring water to my home, and never once asked for anything in return. He treats people with care and never brings trouble to anyone,” she said. “The individuals involved in this incident caused real fear in our neighborhood for a long time. I personally experienced theft, destruction, and intimidation from them. They stole around sixty thousand dollars worth of tools and equipment from my home while I was out of town, which included the tools I used for my business. They also opened and dumped out a container that held the ashes of my fiancé’s mother. That act crossed a line that no one should ever cross.”
People stayed quiet because they were afraid of being targeted themselves, she continued.
“Now, for the first time in a long while, there is a sense of calm,” she wrote. “No one here celebrates what happened, but there is relief. People are no longer walking around in fear. We are not looking over our shoulders or worried about who might be lurking around our homes. The pressure we all carried has lifted. It is not joy. It is simply peace. And that peace matters.”
Marvin Hinshaw—who knew the defendant as a friend, neighbor and employer—said when the Bear Fire roared through the area a few years ago, Collier stayed behind to protect the neighborhood from looters.
“We developed a friendship,” he said. “I am 80 years old and count Jimmy as one of the two best friends I have in my life.”
However, prosecutors came with their own strong arguments about why bail shouldn’t be reduced.
On March 24, California Highway Patrol officers found a gray Ford F-250 along Skyline Boulevard with Pfeffer and White’s dead bodies in the back, bound by rope.
“A black Harley Davidson motorcycle had been dropped onto their bodies, crushing them,” reads the document signed by Deputy District Attorney Barbara Cathcart and filed on May 19. “Mr. Collier shot and killed two men with a high-powered rifle less than two months ago. He then tied up their bodies and loaded them into the back of a truck. He then used heavy equipment to drop a motorcycle down on top of their bodies. He then drove the truck out of Boulder Creek into Santa Clara County. He then attempted to clean up the crime scene. When investigators began speaking to his associates about the homicides, Mr. Collier took it upon himself to contact the police and deliver a false story about not seeing the victims for several months prior. His delivery of these claims was quite convincing. It is clear that Mr. Collier is an extremely dangerous individual who is not only able to kill two grown men by shooting them from behind, but is also able to treat their bodies with extreme callousness and take extraordinary steps to avoid apprehension by law enforcement.”
The mother of two of White’s five children wrote to the court to say her kid’s lives have been forever altered by the killing of their father.
“My children have been forced to grow up and attempt to process feelings no child should ever experience,” she wrote. “Please do not tear open our children’s already shattered hearts by allowing this man freedom while he awaits justice being served for his heinous actions.”
Pfeffer’s mom also urged the court to keep the murder suspect in jail.
“Jimmy was being evicted from the ‘mountain.’ No one wanted him there,” she wrote. “Collier’s family can go visit him in jail. I get to hug Sean’s urn that is in his memorial cabinet!”
