Welcome to Crime Watch Daily Update briefings. Today we are looking back at the July 2014 murder of 14-year-old April Milsap in Armada, Michigan, which Crime Watch Daily covered in 2016.
April was walking her dog on a warm night when she went missing. Police found her body and started investigating her death, which was the first murder in the area in 41 years. Her fitness tracker blew the case wide open, and James VanCallis Jr. was convicted of murder, kidnapping, and assault with intent to rape in June 2016. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, but has maintained his innocence the whole time because he argued no physical evidence connected him to the girl’s murder.
In 2018, VanCallis appealed his conviction, but the Michigan Court of Appeals upheld the decision, writing, “Although there was no physical evidence tying defendant to the crime, there was plenty of circumstantial evidence from which a jury could conclude that defendant was the perpetrator.”
In 2019, the Michigan Supreme Court also denied VanCallis’ appeal.
Now, let’s look back at the case.

So glad the judge wasn’t having that bullshit.
I hate murderers . I would wreck that guy
I still don't understand what evidence they have?I'm watching all these videos and can't find any detailing what got him convicted?if they were fighting and struggling for 15 mins evidence will be everywhere this is weird.does anyone know why he was found guilty? Just learning about the case. rip to that poor girl
if someone is convicted for having intercourse with someone under thirteen, that is assault not sex. and this should be a cautionary tale as to why parents shouldn’t let their young children/teens walk alone at night. so dangerous
Hopefully Karma visits him in prison…..
the Boyfriend was useless and no where to be found, so much for counting on him when you need him the most … instead he was busy playing xbox with his friends and ignore the text from April and instead of hanging out with her.
A girl cant even walk her dog without evil lurking around every corner, we live in a sick and evil world.
Bless that policeman choking up. Good guy.
That's Scary Mary on the bench!
He’s a product of his great mothering
I grew up in a small town in Northern Michigan. I empathize with the victim, April. She didn’t deserve to be murdered.
True crime doesn't discuss the wildly out of proportion black on white violence
I made sure they heard "GUILTY"!!!
I love that judge…… her nickname is Scary Mary for a reason!!!
Lickednfelt??
I like the old
Narrator better
I pray for this family !
What happened to the dog?
He had a girlfriend already,..so why did he have to do this to April? I’ve noticed that there are a lot of sex crime cases in which the suspect is either married or had girlfriends. So why would they go after other females?
Wow,..thank goodness she had that fitness tracker app on her phone! It may not have safes her life,..but it did lead to her killer. Rest In Peace April.ðŸ™Â
First my condolences to the family and friends. So sadðŸ˜Â
April had so much to live for, but was taken away by James: he deserve getting lifetime in prison without parole thumbs up to the juryðŸ‘Â
America is bad place for any family
Never get fooled by living in a small community ……the devil roams everywhere!!!!!so sad a young pretty girl snuffed out by scum!!!!ðŸ˜ÂðŸ˜ÂðŸ˜ÂðŸ˜ÂðŸ˜ÂðŸ˜ÂðŸ˜ÂðŸ˜ÂðŸ˜ÂðŸ˜ÂðŸ˜ÂðŸ’â€Ã°Å¸â€™â€Ã°Å¸â€™â€Ã°Å¸â€™â€Ã°Å¸â€™â€Ã°Å¸â€™â€Ã°Å¸â€™â€
Does anyone else wonder why her step dad was giving her a back rub?? This poor family tho I couldn't imagine
What fitness app is that ?? I’m gonna get it
Well done. Continue to remind parents of their responsibility and obligation to having children.
Apple doesn’t fall far from the tree smh 🤦â€Â♀ï¸Â
Her mother brought tears to my eyes may she have peace in life
Thanks for the updates Ana.
I got married when I was 17 and we moved into a row of duplexes. They all look just like. We never locked our doors. One morning I had just seen my husband off to work and someone just walked in and I thought it was him. Nope. Thankfully he was harmless just walked in the wrong door carrying his lunch box from the night shift. But it taught me a valuable lesson I have locked my doors ever since. He looked dead tired and just walked in and plopped down in the chair and set his lunch box on the coffee table. I'm sitting on the couch with my eyes bugged out when he looks up and I scared him to death
I love these updates they’re so satisfying. Thank you for posting them!!
@Sarah that's right ✅︠cause you could never be to safe
What about "why did this happen to April!!"
Yikes … Idk about this one, I'm hoping the Jury saw a lot more evidence then what we heard here?
I mean…. he absolutely COULD be guilty, and for the sake of this piir family I hope he IS, but I didn't hear anything that would've made my mind up beyond a reasonable doubt.
Surely the Jury was shown a lot more circumstantial evidence and we're simply getting the bare minimum for the Documentary.
Especially considering all the Courts of Appeals have confirmed his guilty charge.
It's just I've watched so many cases where the authorities got it SO WRONG, that it makes you wonder with these cases with such little evidence??
Anybody else picked up on the "There's no evidence that I did anything wrong" instead of "I didn't do it"
Gross a back rub from your step dad
poor baby girl, so so Sorry. i wish i could've been there for YOU
Seriously, how long does it take to lock your door??
No evidence and too be honest the guy looks like what I have been through.
I also done over, but after 2.7 years.
Everyone found out the truth.
His face looks exactly like my face when I got wrongly done.
If therefore no evidence, then is shouldn't be right.
I have a bad gut feeling about this.
I really think they got the wrong guy
My son was murdered in 2014 in Waterford Michigan, not far from where this happened.. this cockroach that killed April was at the same prison one of my son's killers was also. He has since been moved. I know exactly what it is like for her poor parents. All my love to them ðŸ’â€Ã¢Â¤ï¸Â
I grew up in Memphis, the corn field next to Armada essentially and it truly is the place you feel nothing will happen. Small country town with an old town feel. The problem is weirdos can really hide out there untouched. This man was arrested from/living one corn field in front of my childhood home. My girlfriends and I use to ride our bikes down that dirt road all the time alone. It’s haunting. Aprils story will live with us forever. May she RIP
May God Bless "this" Family and "Rest" Comfortably Little Angel; and for James…"May God Have Mercy on Your Soul…
Vile pieces of garbage.
Why did the authorities not bring the dog James Vancallis to see if the dog would have growled at the guy or run away from the guy in fear ?
I think that would have helped the case immensely since the dog probably witnessed that horrible murder
Always in a “safe†town.
Really ashame the boyfriend didn't see the text right as it was coming in . I Wish she sent that text to several people instead of just her boyfriend … she may have had a chance to be alive if she had sent it to other people who were in the area like her family and other friends not just the boyfriend .
Honestly that trail looks a bit spooky for a girl to be walking on alone because anyone or anything could jump out of those trees and bushes at her .
If I lived in a small town and I had a walkway like that I would not want my loved ones walking alone down it not unless it was a crowded Trail where there's always people around .
With that trail being in a small town you still have a chance of being attacked as much as if it was in an urban area with a lot of people on the trail .
I feel that people who don't lock their doors because they live in a safe town are very NAIVE to think that something bad can't happen for the first time .
Sheer stupidity , asking for trouble and lack of imagination because they can't ever think that somebody who doesn't live there might drive through their town and decide to sneak into their homes when they're sleeping and kill them .
And also shows no respect for their own family .
If you don't care about your own life you could at least care about your kids and whoever else is living with you .
I was born in raised here in Michigan and am now raising a family very, very close to Armada, let me tell you this truly shook this community and the surrounding communities. RIP April, you are so loved and we pray for justice at the very least.