Power and privilege explored in book covering the murder of Atlanta socialite Lita McClinton
On a cold January morning in 1987, the murder of socialite Lita McClinton rocked Atlanta and made national and even worldwide headlines.
In broad daylight, a flower delivery man, with a gun in tow, rang the doorbell at her Buckhead townhome. When she opened the door, he shot her.
Immediately, her millionaire, soon-to-be ex-husband, James Sullivan, was considered the prime suspect in orchestrating the plot. The day Lita was shot was also the day a judge was about to settle the couple’s divorce case.
But some believe Sullivan’s power and privilege aided him in alluding arrest for nearly two decades.
The story intrigued author Deb Miller Landau for many reasons, who sat down with WABE’s “Morning Edition.” One in particular is explored in her new book: “A Devil Went Down to Georgia: Race, Power, Privilege and the Murder of Lita McClinton.”
Miller Landau wondered how the dynamic of this interracial couple played in the interminable investigation replete with numerous roadblocks and dead ends. McClinton was Black, and Sullivan was white.
In the book, Landau also details her meeting with the hit man Sullivan hired to kill Lita. He was convicted years later and spent 20 in prison. Yet, he continues to deny his involvement.
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