James Anthony Paluch, Jr. was born May 24, 1971, in Allentown, PA. Educated in both public and private schools, he and his girlfriend dropped out of high school six months before graduation. He was arrested in Philadelphia in June, 1990, for first-degree murder and aggravated assault. In October, 1991, he was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder. He is a past president of the Pennsylvania Lifers' Association at SCI-Rockview.