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Murder trial testimony focuses on cell records, stalking

Posted at 4:23 PM, Feb 21, 2019
and last updated 2019-02-21 17:10:39-05

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The trial of a man accused of killing a girl who he also raped continued Thursday.

Quinn James is accused of killing Mujey Dumbuya in the days before he was to stand trial for her rape. James has been convicted of the rape and was sentenced to a minimum of 20 years in prison.

Prosecutors spent Thursday going over cell phone and car rental records from James, trying to prove that he stalked Dumbuya along her bus route, months before killing her.

Detectives testified that James' cell phone records led them to a GMC dealer where he had rented two Acadias, just months apart.  One of those rentals was in January 2018, about the same time Dumbuya disappeared.

Video of that Acadia was spotted on a trail camera near where Dumbuya's body was found in a wooded area in Kalamazoo.

Prosecutors also focused on an earlier Acadia rental in November of 2017. A Rapid bus driver reported seeing a silver Acadia, traced to James, driving erratically along the bus route.

The driver testified that the vehicle showed up shortly after Dumbuya had boarded the bus heading towards school.  The driver was so disturbed by the incident, she posted a warning to fellow drivers on Facebook later that day with the make, model and license plate number.

When she learned months later that Dumbuya had been murdered, she contacted police.

Dumbuya was last seen heading to her bus stop Jan. 24, 2018. Her body was found days later in Kalamazoo.

The trial is expected to continue into next week.