PHOTO: (Alabama Department of Corrections)

Contributed by Scott Lloyd, Assistant District Attorney

DEKALB COUNTY, Ala. — Even after 21 years of service as the Deputy District Attorney of DeKalb County, the most horrendous case I have ever seen is the murder of teenage child Lisa Ann Millican by Judith Ann Neelley.

Shockingly, Neelley will be considered for parole next month. I am calling on all of my fellow citizens to write letters of objection to Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles before Neelley’s hearing on May 23rd.

Neelley was placed on death row for the 1982 rape, torture and murder of 15-year-old Lisa Ann Millican. Lisa Ann was kidnapped from a mall in Georgia, then taken to a motel in Scottsboro where she was raped and molested. Later, Neelley drove Lisa Ann to Little River Canyon in DeKalb County where Neelley shot her in the head and then tossed her body over the rim like a piece of garbage.  But the most horrendous aspect of this case was that, prior to shooting Lisa Ann, Neelley injected her with Drano. Imagine the horrendous pain this child suffered as Drano circulated through her body.

In 1999, then-Governor Fob James inexplicably commuted Neelley’s sentence on his last day in office.  Eventually, it was determined that Neelley would have to be given a parole hearing. But, that does not mean she has to be granted parole. The Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles still can deny Neelley’s application.

The fact that Judith Ann Neelley is even being considered for parole threatens the safety our communities, and is a challenge to the rule of law. What kind of precedent would it set? Please don’t misunderstand me. There are cases where parole may be justified, and there are certainly times that justice should be tempered with mercy. This, however is not one of those cases.

As an Assistant DA, I know that the board truly considers letters of objection. I urge each citizen to write a brief letter to the board asking them not to grant parole for Judith Ann Neelley, the perpetrator of the most horrendous crime in the history of DeKalb County.

Letters may be mailed to:

Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles

P.O. Box 302405

Montgomery, AL  36130-2405

Scott Lloyd has served as Assistant District Attorney in Cherokee and DeKalb Counties for the past 21 years. Scott Lloyd is also a Republican candidate for Circuit Judge in the June 2018 primary campaign.