James Radley Mattioli was 6 years old and in his first-grade classroom at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, on the morning of December 14, 2012. He loved the outdoors, sports, especially diving off the board, and was close to his father, Mark, often called his mini look-a-like. James enjoyed numbers, was improving his reading with help from his sister Anna, and was known for a warm smile and singing loudly.

That morning a 20-year-old man, Adam Lanza, forced his way into the school after fatally shooting his mother at their home and killed 20 children and six adult staff members; James was one of those first-graders. Lanza died by a self-inflicted gunshot as officers arrived. An official investigation concluded Lanza planned and carried out the attack alone and the case was closed.