BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – A Bellingham man has been sentenced for killing a retired dance professor at Western Washington University.
Court documents state 38-year-old James Singleton will spend 17 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder on Tuesday, Sept. 1.
Singleton was arrested in June 2024 after 74-year-old Nolan Dennett was found dead at a home on Old Samish Road.
According to the police report, Singleton had called 911 three days after he attacked Dennett with a hammer, resulting in blunt force trauma injuries. Singleton told dispatchers that he and Dennett, who were roommates, had been taking methamphetamine in the days prior and got into a physical fight.
Dennett is described as the “original architect” of the dance program at WWU. He retired from his position as director in 2021 after 32 years with the university.
Singleton will be in community custody for three years after his prison sentence is up.
