Alvin Neelley was a prolific American serial killer. In the early 1980s, he and his wife Judith Ann Adams Neelley abducted, tortured, and murdered Lisa Ann Millican and Janice Kay Chatman.
The couple also attempted to abduct a third victim. Judith was sentenced to death in 1983, but her sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment in 1999. Alvin was also given a life sentence and was incarcerated at the Bostick State Prison in Hardwick, Georgia. He died in 2005.
Early Life
Alvin Neelley was born on July 15, 1953, in Rome, Georgia. His teenage years were spent stealing cars, having a troubled childhood, and being troubled himself as a child. His second wife, was the age of 26 and 15 years old at the time of their first meeting in 1980, when he met her for the first time at the age of 26 and 15, respectively. In the summer of 1973, shortly before Alvin’s second marriage to Judith ann neelley, he eloped with her after divorcing his first wife. Three children were born to the couple during their marriage.
Alvin Neelley was a convicted murderer and rapist who terrorized parts of the southeastern United States in the early 1980s. Neelley was arrested in 1983 for the kidnapping, rape, and murder of Lisa Ann Millican, a 13-year-old girl from Georgia. He was also suspected of killing two other girls but was never charged in those cases. Neelley was sentenced to death for Millican’s murder, but his sentence was later reduced to life in prison.
Neelley’s crimes horrified the nation and brought attention to the issue of missing and exploited children. He remains in prison today, and his name continues to be associated with some of the most heinous crimes ever committed.
Victims
Youth Development Center Crimes
Alvin Neelley was arrested and charged with multiple counts of kidnapping, aggravated assault, rape, and murder in connection to a series of crimes that occurred at the Youth Development Center (YDC) in September 1982. Ken Dooley, a YDC employee, was shot four times on September 11th.
As a result of the molotov cocktail firebombing Linda Adair’s home the following day, Linda Adair’s home was severely damaged. A woman who claimed to have been abused at the YDC contacted two victims following an attack by a woman who claimed to have been sexually abused at the YDC, but neither victim was able to identify the voice that called them. Neelley was eventually convicted of several of the charges and sentenced to death. However, his sentence was later commuted to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Lisa Ann Millican
Alvin Neelley kidnapped Lisa Ann Millican from a mall in Georgia in 1982. Millican was 13 years old at the time and was with other residents of the Ethel Harpst Home, a facility for neglected and abused girls and boys located in Cedartown, Georgia. Neelley coerced Millican from the mall’s gaming arcade and took her against her will. Millican was held captive for several days before she was finally able to escape.
Janice Chatman And John Hancock
Alvin Neelley and his wife Judith kidnapped Janice Chatman and john Hancock Janice Chatman on October 4, 1982. They tortured and murdered Chatman, but Hancock survived and was able to identify the Neelleys as his assailants. Alvin Neelley is now serving a life sentence for his crimes.
Arrests And Trial
Alvin and Judith Neelley were arrested in October 1982 for the murders of 13-year-old Lisa Ann Millican and 15-year-old Jane Chatman. Alvin pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to life imprisonment, while Judith’s trial resulted in a conviction and a death sentence. Despite the jury’s recommendation that she be sentenced to life in prison, Judge Randall Cole sentenced Judith to death by electric chair. As soon as she was convicted of Chatman’s murder, Judith pleaded guilty to that crime.
The Neelleys’ crimes came to light after Lisa Ann Millican’s father reported her missing on September 1, 1982. A massive search effort was launched, but it wasn’t until October that the girl’s body was found. She had been raped, beaten, and strangled to death. Jane Chatman’s body was found soon after. Like Millican, she had been raped and murdered.
Alvin Neelley confessed to both murders, but Judith claimed she was innocent. Her trial began in May 1983, and it quickly became clear that she was the mastermind behind the crimes. She was convicted of both murders and sentenced to death. Alvin Neelley remains in prison, serving a life sentence. Judith Neelley’s death sentence was later commuted to life in prison.
Aftermath
Bostick State Prison served as Alvin Neelley’s home from 1983 until his passing in 2005. He committed the atrocities when he was 18 years old. When Judith was put on Alabama’s execution row, she became the nation’s youngest woman to receive a death sentence. In March 1987, she filed an appeal seeking a new trial, but it was rejected. In 1989, the US Supreme Court upheld her death sentence. Governor Fob James modified her sentence in 1999 to life in prison with a 15-year parole potential. Judith’s punishment was recommended by the jury, and the Governor based his judgment on that advice. The Alabama legislature approved a provision that prevented Judith from receiving parole in 2014.
Neelley’s final moments were spent on death row in the Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, Alabama. He was pronounced dead at 11:05 pm CST on December 13, 2005, by lethal injection. His last words were “I love you all.” Judith Neelley remains incarcerated at the Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women in Wetumpka, Alabama.
Alvin Neelley will forever be remembered as a cruel monster. His victims were young girls who were subjected to unspeakable acts of violence. His wife, Judith, was an accomplice in his crimes. She is currently serving a life sentence in an Alabama prison. Alvin Neelley’s legacy is one of terror, pain, and suffering. He was a true monster who took the lives of innocent victims. May he Rest In Peace.
The Neelleys were two of the most prolific serial killers in American history. They terrorized communities in several states during the early 1980s. Alvin Neelley was a cold-blooded killer who showed no remorse for his crimes. He met his end on death row in Alabama. His wife, Judith, is serving a life sentence in an Alabama prison. The Neelley’s will forever be remembered as monsters.
