James Tramel (born c. 1967) was an Episcopal

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

who was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform va ...

while serving prison time for murder, and the first convict ever ordained in the Episcopal Church while still in prison. Soon after being paroled from prison in 2006, he became rector of Trinity Episcopal Church in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

. He has been a public spokesman for prisoners' rights, testifying in favor of parole for juvenile offenders and supporting prisoner-victim reconciliation programs. Tramel was 17 years old and attending

Northwestern Preparatory School Luther Preparatory School (LPS or Luther Prep) is a residential four-year High school, secondary school located in Watertown, Wisconsin, United States. Established in 1865, it is owned and operated by the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WEL ...

, a private military preparatory academy in Santa Barbara. He had been nominated to the

United States Air Force Academy The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is a United States service academy in El Paso County, Colorado, immediately north of Colorado Springs. It educates cadets for service in the officer corps of the United States Air Force and Uni ...

by Senator

Barry Goldwater Barry Morris Goldwater (January 2, 1909 – May 29, 1998) was an American politician and United States Air Force officer who was a five-term U.S. Senator from Arizona (1953–1965, 1969–1987) and the Republican Party nominee for presiden ...

. On August 3, 1985, Tramel participated in the fatal stabbing of a 29-year-old homeless man in a park in Santa Barbara, mistaking his identity for that of a rival gang member. Tramel and his then-roommate were both sentenced to a minimum of 15 years in prison for second-degree murder. While in prison he took correspondence courses, earning an undergraduate degree in business and a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

. He was ordained in 2005, while still an inmate at

Solano State Prison California State Prison, Solano (SOL) is a male-only state prison located in the city of Vacaville, Solano County, California, adjacent to the California Medical Facility. The facility is also referenced as Solano State Prison, CSP-Solano, and CS ...

, by Bishop William E. Swing. Swing harshly criticized Governor

Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, film producer, businessman, retired professional bodybuilder and politician who served as the 38th governor of California between 2003 and 2011. ''Time'' ...

in 2004 when the governor denied Tramel's parole, calling Schwarzenegger "a 90-pound moral weakling". In March 2006, Schwarzenegger reversed his decision and paroled Tramel. Immediately upon his parole, Tramel began serving as an assistant pastor at the Church of the Good Shepherd in

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and Emer ...

. On the following February he left to become rector of Trinity Church. In July 2008, he was suspended for two years from his ministry for sexual abuse of a parishioner. The church did not contest this accusation and Tramel admitted to the abuse.

References

External links

Interview with James Tramel
''Street Spirit'', June 2006
A convicted murderer's journey takes him from a prison cell to the pulpit and parenting
''Ventura County Star'', May 2007

''CNN'', March 13, 2006
A statement from Tramel
discusses his case before the Public Safety Committee of the California State Senate, April 27, 2007 {{DEFAULTSORT:Tramel, James Living people 1960s births Year of birth unknown American Episcopalians American people convicted of murder Minors convicted of murder People convicted of murder by California