Alvin and Judith Neelley
Alvin Neelley | |
---|---|
Born | Alvin Howard Neelley, Jr. July 15, 1953 Trion, Georgia, U.S. |
Died | October 21, 2005 Milledgeville, Georgia, U.S. | (aged 52)
Years active | 1982 |
Spouse |
Judith Neelley (m. 1980) |
Children | 3 |
Aggravated assault | |
Criminal penalty | Life imprisonment |
Details | |
Victims | 2 |
Country | United States |
State(s) | Georgia |
Date apprehended | October 14, 1982 |
Imprisoned at | Bostick State Prison, Hardwick, Georgia |
Judith Neelley | |
---|---|
Born | Judith Ann Adams June 7, 1964 Murfreesboro, Tennessee, U.S. |
Years active | 1982 |
Spouse |
Alvin Neelley (m. 1980) |
Children | 3 |
Conviction(s) | Alabama Capital murder Georgia Murder Attempted murder |
Criminal penalty | Alabama Death; commuted to life imprisonment Georgia Life imprisonment |
Details | |
Victims | 2 |
Country | United States |
State(s) | Georgia |
Date apprehended | October 9, 1982 |
Imprisoned at | Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women, Wetumpka, Alabama |
Alvin Howard Neelley, Jr. (July 15, 1953 – October 21, 2005) and Judith Ann Adams Neelley (born June 7, 1964) are an American married couple who committed the
Early lives
Alvin Neelley
Alvin Howard Neelley, Jr., was born in 1953 in
Judith Ann Neelley
Judith Ann Adams was born in
Youth Development Center crimes
On September 11, 1982, Ken Dooley, a Youth Development Center employee, was shot at four times. The following day, fellow employee Linda Adair's home was firebombed with a Molotov cocktail. Phone calls were made to the victims following the attacks by a female who claimed to have been sexually abused at the YDC, but neither victim could identify the caller's voice.[4][5]
Lisa Ann Millican
Lisa Ann Millican | |
---|---|
Born | March 18, 1969 |
Disappeared | September 25, 1982 Rome, Georgia, United States |
Died | September 28, 1982 | (aged 13)
Resting place | Bryan Cemetery, Walker County, Georgia, United States |
Lisa Ann Millican (March 18, 1969 – September 28, 1982), a 13-year-old girl from Cedartown, Georgia, was abducted by the Neelleys from Rome's Riverbend Mall on September 25, 1982.[4] She was with other residents of the Ethel Harpst Home, a facility for neglected and abused girls and boys located in Cedartown, Georgia. Separated from her group, Millican was coerced from the mall's gaming arcade by the Neelleys. She was taken to a motel in Scottsboro, Alabama, where the couple held her captive. During her captivity, Lisa was raped by both Neelleys multiple times. On September 28, Judith injected Lisa with Drano, first into one side, and later into both sides of her neck, both arms, and both buttocks in an attempt to poison her to death. Liquid-Plumr was also used on some of the injections.[1]
The Neelleys had previously committed other crimes in the mall, but the Millican case was their move into sexual torture murder.[6]
When the painful poisoning failed to kill her, Lisa was shot in the back execution-style by Judith. Her body was thrown over a cliff in the
Janice Chatman and John Hancock
Janice Chatman and John Hancock were a young engaged couple from Rome. On October 4, 1982, they were abducted by Judith.[4] Hancock was shot while Chatman was abducted and brought back to the Neelleys' motel room, where she was tortured and murdered. Hancock survived the shooting and was able to identify the Neelleys as his assailants.[7]
Arrests and trial
Kenneth Kines, the lead detective in the case, followed the Neelleys for three weeks before apprehending them in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
Judith was arrested on October 9, 1982, and Alvin was taken into custody a few days later.
Judith's trial began on March 7, 1983, in Fort Payne for the torture-murder of Millican. Before her trial she gave birth to a third child behind bars.[4] The trial lasted for six weeks; Judith was ultimately convicted of the torture murder of Lisa Ann Millican. Despite a jury's recommendation to sentence Judith to life in prison, Judge Randall Cole sentenced the 18-year-old mother of three to death in Alabama's electric chair.[8] After her conviction, Judith pleaded guilty to Chatman's murder.
Aftermath
Alvin was incarcerated at the Bostick State Prison from 1983 until his death in October 2005.[1]
At 18 years old, Judith became the youngest woman
The decision was met with controversy, but Gov. James – long known for his "tough" position on crime – cited the jury's recommendation for Judith's sentencing. Judith would have been eligible for parole in January 2014, at age 49, but the Alabama legislature passed a law in 2003 that made her ineligible.[8][9]
In the media
On February 28, 2008, the Neelleys' case was profiled on the
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e "Alvin Neelley Dies In Prison". Archived from the original on 2010-06-20. Retrieved 2013-05-28.
- ^ "Inmate Search Results". Archived from the original on 2012-03-31. Retrieved 2013-05-28.
- ^ a b "Nightrider and Lady Sundown: The Bonnie and Clyde of Georgia". Archived from the original on 2009-06-02. Retrieved 2013-05-28.
- ^ a b c d e "Judy Neelley - A woman on death row". Archived from the original on 2012-03-01. Retrieved 2013-05-28.
- ^ "Nightrider and Lady Sundown: The Bonnie and Clyde of Georgia". Retrieved 2013-05-28.
- ^ Cook, Thomas H. Early Graves: The Shocking True-Crime Story of the Youngest Woman Ever Sentenced to Death Row. E P Dutton: 1990.
- ^ a b c d "Alvin and Judith Ann Neelley". Archived from the original on 2011-09-28. Retrieved 2013-05-28.
- ^ a b c "Nightrider and Lady Sundown: The Bonnie and Clyde of Georgia". Retrieved 2013-05-28.
- ^ a b "Judith Ann Neelley no longer eligibile for parole". Retrieved 2013-05-28.
- ^ "Most Evil : Episode Guide : Investigation Discovery". Archived from the original on 2008-02-22. Retrieved 2013-05-28.
- ^ "Wicked Attraction: Investigation Discovery". Archived from the original on 2011-02-22. Retrieved 2013-05-28.
- ^ "Twisted Thrills". Archived from the original on August 15, 2011.