Episode Transcript
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No tears for black girls when they disappear.
No tears for black girls like they were never here.
But we remember. We'll speak their names, their
stories matter. We'll break these chains.
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No tears left to cry. On this episode of No Tears for
Black Girls, we unravel one of Atlanta's most haunting true
crime stories, the senseless, calculated murder of Lita
Mcclinton Sullivan. Lita was a vibrant, ambitious 35
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year old woman whose life was stolen on the very morning she
was set to confront her wealthy,estranged husband in court.
What looked at first like a senseless act of violence would
soon expose a chilling conspiracy fueled by greed,
betrayal and power. A murder for hire scheme that
crossed continents and tested the very limits of justice.
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For nearly 20 years, Lita's family fought for answers, their
search for truth often seeming hopeless.
This is a story of deep betrayaland a relentless pursuit to hold
to account the man who once vowed to love and cherish her.
This is Lita's story. It was a day that should have
marked a new beginning. On January 16th, 1987, in
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Atlanta's prestigious Buckhead neighborhood, Lita prepared to
go to court for a divorce hearing that could have changed
her future. As she opened the door of her
stately townhouse on Slayton Drive, a deliveryman stood
before her holding a white box of roses tied with a large pink
bow. Friends later said Lita must
have thought they were from someone who cared.
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A thoughtful gesture before a stressful day.
Then, in a split second, gunfireshattered the quiet.
Lita collapsed in her doorway. Her dreams, her freedom, her
very life stolen before she could step into a new chapter.
What first looked like a tragic execution would grow into a
twisted saga spanning obsession,money, and murder.
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A case that would take nearly two decades to resolve.
Lita Sullivan, born Lita Mcclinton on January 7th, 1952,
was raised among Atlanta's Blackelite.
Her father, Emery Mcclinton, wasa trailblazing executive with
the US Department of Transportation.
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Her mother, Joanne, served in Georgia's state legislature,
breaking barriers for Black women in leadership.
The Mcclintons were respected socially and politically,
symbols of the city's rising Black upper class in the wake of
the civil rights era, Lita and her sister were determined
pioneers, first Black students at Saint Pius Catholic High
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School thanks to Joanne's persistent advocacy.
Lita herself would shine at Spelman College, where she
majored in political science andcriminal justice, aiming first
for a legal career before passion for fashion swept her
away. She graduated with honors and
soon became a buyer at Rich's Department Store, Atlanta's
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iconic retailer. Lita's effortless style and
magnetic personality made her a standout in any room, and her
mentorship left a lasting impacton young women across Atlanta.
Judge M Yvette Miller, now on Georgia's Court of Appeals,
credits Lita for inspiring her ground breaking path as the
first Black Miss Macon. Lita's life took a fateful turn
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at Rich's when she met James Sullivan Jim, a wealthy older
white businessman from Boston. Their romance was headline
material just a decade after Loving versus Virginia legalized
interracial marriage. Their union challenged deep
seated taboos. Jim was nearly eleven years her
senior with newly inherited millions and a reputation for
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arrogance that unsettled her family.
He was only the second white person to marry into the
Mcclinton family. Despite her parents misgivings
and the racial hostility of the era, Lita agreed to marry Jim
after a whirlwind courtship. But cracks appeared quickly.
Just before the wedding, Jim revealed he'd been married
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before and had four children, facts he'd kept secret.
The day before they wed, he handed Lita A prenuptial
agreement. If they divorced, she'd receive
only $2500 a month for three years, a pittance given his
fortune. Lita signed, still choosing love
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over doubt. On December 26th, 1976, they
married in a ceremony Jim's family refused to attend.
Their move to Macon, GA only deepened Lita's isolation.
Racist neighbors left garbage and watermelons on their lawn, a
cruel message. Jim's affection gave way to
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control. He placed Lita on a strict
allowance and her world shrank. By Christmas 1982, a card from
Jim's mistress confirmed Lita's worst fears.
She confronted him, but he stonewalled and denied.
She stayed, signing a post nuptial agreement that offered
only modest support if they everdivorced.
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In 1983, Jim sold his business for $5 million and, without
consulting Lita, bought a Palm Beach mansion, Casa Alita.
He chased high society, leaving Lita behind in a cold,
unfamiliar world, isolated and depressed.
She finally convinced Jim to buya second home in Atlanta, but
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the marriage had collapsed. Multiple affairs, including one
with a woman named Suki Rogers, finally drove Lita to leave him
in August 1985. Back in Atlanta, Lita flourished
again. Surrounded by family and
friends, she entertained, mentored and found new love.
But her divorce battle with Jim grew toxic.
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Despite the prenuptial and post nuptial agreements, Lita
believed she deserved more. After sacrificing a decade of
her life, the battle soon turnedugly.
A friend's husband secretly recorded her phone calls and
sold them to Jim for $30,000 in the hope of using them as
leverage in court. On the morning of her murder,
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Lita was just hours from a hearing to contest the
prenuptial agreements that rainyFriday when she answered the
door for a man presenting a box of roses with a pink bow. 2
gunshots rang out. One struck Lita in the temple.
A neighbor witnessed the killer fleeing.
Within 40 minutes, a collect call was placed from a highway
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rest stop 34 miles away to Jim Sullivan's Palm Beach mansion.
The murder rocked Atlanta's elite.
The brutality, the timing, the setting in Buckhead all pointed
to a crime of calculation. Suspicion fell immediately on
Jim Sullivan. He'd stand to lose millions if
the divorce went against him, but he was hundreds of miles
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away with an alibi, and there was no physical evidence tying
him to the crime. The case stalled.
Lita's family refused to give up.
Friends and civic leaders packedher funeral.
Jim's absence stood out, a finalrejection that was widely
remarked upon and remembered to this day.
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Eight months after Lita's murder, Jim married his longtime
mistress, Suki, but legal troubles followed.
He was convicted of perjury and briefly jailed for illegal
firearms. During their divorce, Suki
testified that Jim had confessedto hiring someone to kill Lita
boasting in Georgia. You can hire those people for
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nothing. You can do anything you want.
Still, hard proof was elusive. In 1992, Jim was indicted on
federal conspiracy charges, but the case was dismissed.
In 1994, Lita's parents won a $4million civil lawsuit against
Jim, supported by testimony fromSuki and a jailhouse informant,
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but the Florida Supreme Court overturned the verdict after
appeal. It was reinstated in 1997.
By then, Jim had disappeared. The breakthrough came in 1998
when a Texas woman saw ATV program about Lita's murder and
recognized the story. Her ex-boyfriend, trucker
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Phillip Harwood, had confessed to her that Jim Sullivan paid
him $25,000 to orchestrate Lita's killing.
Harwood admitted his role and pleaded guilty to voluntary
manslaughter, agreeing to spend 20 years in prison in exchange
for his testimony. Though he claimed he wasn't the
triggerman, his confession and his girlfriend's testimony
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finally unlocked the case. An international manhunt began.
Jim Sullivan appeared on the FB is Most Wanted list, surfacing
in Costa Rica, then Panama, and finally in Thailand where,
living in luxury with yet another wife, he was recognized
by a viewer of America's Most Wanted.
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In 2002, Thai police arrested him.
After years of extradition hearings, Jim was returned to
Atlanta. In 2004, prosecutors announced
they would seek the death penalty.
The 2006 trial leaned on Harwood's testimony and the
evidence trail. On March 10th, 2006, nearly 20
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years after the murder, the juryfound James Sullivan guilty of
hiring the killer. He was sentenced to life in
prison without parole. For Lita's family, it was the
justice they had spent two decades fighting for.
As of 2024, Jim Sullivan remainsincarcerated at Augusta State
Medical Prison in Georgia, agingin declining health and still
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refusing to accept responsibility.
Phillip Harwood was released from prison in 2018, maintaining
his claim he wasn't the shooter.Lita's mother, Joanne Mcclinton,
now in her 90s, continues to speak out about her daughter's
legacy. In October 2024, AB CS2020
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revisited the story in a specialtitled A Puzzling Murder, which
explored not only Lita's tragic death, but the broader impact on
Atlanta's Black community and the chilling intersection of
race, privilege, and justice. That same year, Deb Miller
Landau's book A Devil went down to Georgia Race, power,
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privilege, and the murder of Lita Mcclinton brought a new
generation into Lita's world, exploring the deeper
undercurrents of race, class, and gender that shaped the
tragedy and the long struggle for the truth.
Lita Mcclinton's story is now forever woven into Atlanta's
history, a cautionary tale, a challenge to remember Black
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women whose lives and voices have too often been silenced by
violence and power. Lita was just 35 when she was
gunned down. A daughter, a friend, a woman
trying to reclaim her life. Her death was calculated
cruelty. Her memory lives on.
The long fight for justice was more than a courtroom victory.
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It was a testament to her family's love and the
unrelenting pursuit of truth. For her parents, it was never
about revenge. It was always about justice.
May Lita Mcclinton rest in peace.
If you or someone you love is experiencing domestic violence,
help is available. Call the National Domestic
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Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or visit
thehotline.org. Coming up, we're proud to
premiere Bouquet at the Door from the soundtrack for JC
Reedberg's upcoming novel in theNo Tears for Black Girls series,
Dead Mike. Launching August 29th on Amazon
Kindle just in time for Labor Day weekend.
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Dead Mike is an urban suspense thriller about an up and coming
rapper searching for truth abouther past colliding with her
estranged father, a corrupt rap star, while an investigator
closes in on a trafficking ring run by a mysterious queen.
With jaw-dropping twists and page turning suspense, it's set
to shock and delight fans of this series.
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Thank you for listening to No Tears for Black Girls.
This is Samantha Paul. Until next time, stay loved,
stay blessed, and stay safe. J All three on the track.
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Zone one, Zone 6. Lord knows we all got scars.
Some flowers ain't for love. Sometimes the street brings
roses. And my spirit broke these chains
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from old 4th war to West. And they whisper when I pass on.
Three angels got my back, But serpents in the grass money turn
my lover to a demon overnight. There's lessons in betrayal
every Scott and earnest stripes showering out in Buckhead echo
through the Mechanicsville Mama burn a sage.
But my heart still chill grows on every corner where another
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soul got took. Dusted got a testimony to tell.
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Bouquet at the door Red light blood on Georgia clay flowers
for the falling souls. Now the streets gonna sing my
name. Bouquet at the door.
Atlanta Rain can't wash my pain,But legends born from struggle
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and my spirit broke these chains.
There's always been roses and warnings in this city.
Bouquet at the door turn my paininto a ministry.
Every ending's just his story. OK, At the door.