 James | |
| James Hogan | |
| Portrayed by | Silas Weir Mitchell Jake Bern (Younger) |
| First Appearance | Sherry Darlin' |
| Last Appearance | Kensington |
| Status | Imprisoned |
James Hogan was murder victim Krystal Hogan's step-grandson. His life was very depressing and complicated.
James' parents died in a car accident and at 19 years old, he had to take care of his then 80-year-old step grandmother. James has a half-brother named Lonnie Gable (they share the same mother, but have different fathers), who earlier in 1989, was living in Baltimore, Maryland, but then moved to Philadelphia to be close to his half-brother and grandmother if they needed more help.
James's then-girlfriend, Sherry Stephens, also lived with him and his grandmother. She seemed to be a loving and caring girlfriend, but in reality was a manipulative, greedy, and jealous woman. Sherry was only with James because he and his family had money, but specifically Krystal had a $50,000 life insurance policy. She talked James into killing his grandmother, but when he wasn't able to, Sherry suffocated Krystal with a pillow herself while James watched. They deposited her body in their cellar. Sherry eventually broke up with James after getting as much money as she could from him.
In 2003, James happened to be in his old neighborhood again while on his house moving job, and his guilty conscience got him to call the police about Krystal's murder. He talked several times to Detective Lilly Rush, both on the phone and in person, eventually surrendering to her. After testifying against Sherry, James was able to ensure his grandmother got a proper burial. He developed an infatuation for Lilly, writing her letters from prison that Lilly kept in her desk, which lead to Scotty Valens teasing her that she had a soft spot for James.
A year later, James gave Lilly a new lead on his uncle Joe Young's murder. He asked why she didn't write him back, which Lilly couldn't answer. James called Lilly again, and she told him they could only ever be friends. He was visibly hurt, but ultimately wished for her to find someone else she could talk to.