Uploaded September 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
On a quiet January morning in Atlanta, Georgia, Lita McClinton opened her front door to accept a delivery of pink roses and was quickly shot dead. The shocking murder of this vibrant young socialite sent shockwaves through the community and started a decades-long pursuit for justice.
Join us today for The Final Arrangement. Lita McClinton’s story is a haunting example of love turned lethal, lies and betrayal masked by wealth, and a mother’s unshakable fight to uncover the truth behind her daughter’s murder. Today we are unlacing the tangled web of lies spun by Lita’s estranged husband, James Sullivan. The investigation spanned years and Lita’s family suffered, but they persisted in their relentless efforts to get justice for more than 20 years after the crime.
Sources
Hitman Freed 31 Years After Shooting Millionaire’s Estranged Wife in Her Doorway in Murder-for-Hire, People.com, Adam Carlson, 5/28/2018, people.com/crime/hitman-atlanta-socialite-murder-for-hire-released-prison/.
Lita McClinton, Black Socialite is Murdered, African-American Registry, 2/1/1987, aaregistry.org/story/african-american-socialite-murdered
The Palm Beach Murder by Marion Collins.
Social Disgraces, Atlanta Magazine, Debra Miller, 10/2004.
On a quiet January morning in Atlanta, Georgia, Lita McClinton opened her front door to accept a delivery of pink roses and was quickly shot dead. The shocking murder of this vibrant young socialite sent shockwaves through the community and started a decades-long pursuit for justice.
Join us today for The Final Arrangement. Lita McClinton’s story is a haunting example of love turned lethal, lies and betrayal masked by wealth, and a mother’s unshakable fight to uncover the truth behind her daughter’s murder. Today we are unlacing the tangled web of lies spun by Lita’s estranged husband, James Sullivan. The investigation spanned years and Lita’s family suffered, but they persisted in their relentless efforts to get justice for more than 20 years after the crime.
Sources
Hitman Freed 31 Years After Shooting Millionaire’s Estranged Wife in Her Doorway in Murder-for-Hire, People.com, Adam Carlson, 5/28/2018, people.com/crime/hitman-atlanta-socialite-murder-for-hire-released-prison/.
Lita McClinton, Black Socialite is Murdered, African-American Registry, 2/1/1987, aaregistry.org/story/african-american-socialite-murdered
The Palm Beach Murder by Marion Collins.
Social Disgraces, Atlanta Magazine, Debra Miller, 10/2004.
