James Allen Paul (April 19, 1947 – March 3, 2000) was an American spree killer who murdered three people during a seven-day rampage across three states during May 1984. Paul was born on April 19, 1947, in Norfolk, Virginia. Little is known about his early life, but in his adult years Paul obtained work as stable hand for farms. In 1983, Paul moved to Room 1 at the Belvedere Motel on Route 22 in Readington Township, New Jersey. At the same motel lived 47-year-old Virginia Vickory.