Lisa Ann Millican
Encyclopedia
Lisa Ann Millican was a victim of a notorious kidnapping
and murder
that began at the Riverbend Mall
in Rome, Georgia
on September 25, 1982. That day Lisa was on a shopping outing with other residents of the Ethel Harpst Home, a home for neglected and abused girls and boys located in Cedartown, Georgia. Separated from her group, Millican was snatched from the mall's gaming arcade by sexual predator
s Alvin and Judith Neelley
. The Neelleys had previously committed other crimes in the mall, but the Millican case represented their graduation into sexual torture and murder
. Millican was sexually abused for three days and then injected with drain cleaner
, shot and thrown into Northern Alabama
's Little River Canyon by Judith. Kenneth Kines, the leading detective of the case followed the Neelleys for three weeks before finally capturing them in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. For this and other murders, Alvin was sentenced to life imprisonment
in Georgia
. Judith, only 18 at the time of the killing, was sentenced to death in Alabama
, but in a controversial decision in 1999, her sentence was commuted to life by outgoing Alabama Governor Fob James
.
Kidnapping
In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority...
and murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
that began at the Riverbend Mall
Riverbend Mall
Riverbend Mall was a shopping mall located in Rome, Georgia. It was open from 1975 to 2002, when it was demolished and replaced with a strip mall...
in Rome, Georgia
Rome, Georgia
Located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, Rome is the largest city and the county seat of Floyd County, Georgia, United States. It is the principal city of the Rome, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Floyd County...
on September 25, 1982. That day Lisa was on a shopping outing with other residents of the Ethel Harpst Home, a home for neglected and abused girls and boys located in Cedartown, Georgia. Separated from her group, Millican was snatched from the mall's gaming arcade by sexual predator
Sexual predator
The term sexual predator is used pejoratively to describe a person seen as obtaining or trying to obtain sexual contact with another person in a metaphorically "predatory" manner. Analogous to how a predator hunts down its prey, so the sexual predator is thought to "hunt" for his or her sex partners...
s Alvin and Judith Neelley
Alvin and Judith Neelley
Alvin Howard Neelley, Jr. and Judith Ann Adams Neelley are an American couple responsible for two torture murders. They each were convicted of the kidnappings and murders of Lisa Ann Millican and Janice Chatman. Judy Neelley was sentenced to death by the state of Alabama in 1983, but her sentence...
. The Neelleys had previously committed other crimes in the mall, but the Millican case represented their graduation into sexual torture and murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
. Millican was sexually abused for three days and then injected with drain cleaner
Drain cleaner
A drain cleaner is a consumer product or device that unblocks sewer pipes or helps to prevent the occurrence of clogged drains; the term may also refer to the individual who performs the activity...
, shot and thrown into Northern Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
's Little River Canyon by Judith. Kenneth Kines, the leading detective of the case followed the Neelleys for three weeks before finally capturing them in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. For this and other murders, Alvin was sentenced to life imprisonment
Life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...
in Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
. Judith, only 18 at the time of the killing, was sentenced to death in Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, but in a controversial decision in 1999, her sentence was commuted to life by outgoing Alabama Governor Fob James
Fob James
Forrest Hood James, Jr., known as Fob James , is an American politician, a civil engineer, and an all-American half-back...
.