Roses and Betrayal: Unraveling Atlanta’s Most Chilling Murder-for-Hire—The Lita McClinton Sullivan Case

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No tears for black girls when
they disappear.

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No tears for black girls like
they were never here.

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But we remember.
We'll speak their names, their

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stories matter.
We'll break these chains.

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No tears left to cry.
On this episode of No Tears for

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Black Girls, we unravel one of
Atlanta's most haunting true

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crime stories, the senseless,
calculated murder of Lita

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Mcclinton Sullivan.
Lita was a vibrant, ambitious 35

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year old woman whose life was
stolen on the very morning she

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was set to confront her wealthy,
estranged husband in court.

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What looked at first like a
senseless act of violence would

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soon expose a chilling
conspiracy fueled by greed,

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betrayal and power.
A murder for hire scheme that

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crossed continents and tested
the very limits of justice.

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For nearly 20 years, Lita's
family fought for answers, their

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search for truth often seeming
hopeless.

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This is a story of deep betrayal
and a relentless pursuit to hold

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to account the man who once
vowed to love and cherish her.

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This is Lita's story.
It was a day that should have

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marked a new beginning.
On January 16th, 1987, in

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Atlanta's prestigious Buckhead
neighborhood, Lita prepared to

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go to court for a divorce
hearing that could have changed

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her future.
As she opened the door of her

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stately townhouse on Slayton
Drive, a deliveryman stood

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before her holding a white box
of roses tied with a large pink

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bow.
Friends later said Lita must

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have thought they were from
someone who cared.

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A thoughtful gesture before a
stressful day.

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Then, in a split second, gunfire
shattered the quiet.

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Lita collapsed in her doorway.
Her dreams, her freedom, her

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very life stolen before she
could step into a new chapter.

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What first looked like a tragic
execution would grow into a

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twisted saga spanning obsession,
money, and murder.

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A case that would take nearly
two decades to resolve.

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Lita Sullivan, born Lita
Mcclinton on January 7th, 1952,

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was raised among Atlanta's Black
elite.

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Her father, Emery Mcclinton, was
a trailblazing executive with

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the US Department of
Transportation.

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Her mother, Joanne, served in
Georgia's state legislature,

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breaking barriers for Black
women in leadership.

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The Mcclintons were respected
socially and politically,

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symbols of the city's rising
Black upper class in the wake of

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the civil rights era, Lita and
her sister were determined

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pioneers, first Black students
at Saint Pius Catholic High

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School thanks to Joanne's
persistent advocacy.

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Lita herself would shine at
Spelman College, where she

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majored in political science and
criminal justice, aiming first

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for a legal career before
passion for fashion swept her

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away.
She graduated with honors and

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soon became a buyer at Rich's
Department Store, Atlanta's

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iconic retailer.
Lita's effortless style and

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magnetic personality made her a
standout in any room, and her

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mentorship left a lasting impact
on young women across Atlanta.

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Judge M Yvette Miller, now on
Georgia's Court of Appeals,

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credits Lita for inspiring her
ground breaking path as the

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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

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white businessman from Boston.
Their romance was headline

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material just a decade after
Loving versus Virginia legalized

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interracial marriage.
Their union challenged deep

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seated taboos.
Jim was nearly eleven years her

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senior with newly inherited
millions and a reputation for

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arrogance that unsettled her
family.

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He was only the second white
person to marry into the

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Mcclinton family.
Despite her parents misgivings

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and the racial hostility of the
era, Lita agreed to marry Jim

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after a whirlwind courtship.
But cracks appeared quickly.

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Just before the wedding, Jim
revealed he'd been married

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before and had four children,
facts he'd kept secret.

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The day before they wed, he
handed Lita A prenuptial

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agreement.
If they divorced, she'd receive

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only $2500 a month for three
years, a pittance given his

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fortune.
Lita signed, still choosing love

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over doubt.
On December 26th, 1976, they

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married in a ceremony Jim's
family refused to attend.

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Their move to Macon, GA only
deepened Lita's isolation.

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Racist neighbors left garbage
and watermelons on their lawn, a

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cruel message.
Jim's affection gave way to

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control.
He placed Lita on a strict

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allowance and her world shrank.
By Christmas 1982, a card from

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Jim's mistress confirmed Lita's
worst fears.

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She confronted him, but he
stonewalled and denied.

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She stayed, signing a post
nuptial agreement that offered

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only modest support if they ever
divorced.

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In 1983, Jim sold his business
for $5 million and, without

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consulting Lita, bought a Palm
Beach mansion, Casa Alita.

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He chased high society, leaving
Lita behind in a cold,

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unfamiliar world, isolated and
depressed.

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She finally convinced Jim to buy
a second home in Atlanta, but

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the marriage had collapsed.
Multiple affairs, including one

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with a woman named Suki Rogers,
finally drove Lita to leave him

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in August 1985.
Back in Atlanta, Lita flourished

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again.
Surrounded by family and

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friends, she entertained,
mentored and found new love.

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But her divorce battle with Jim
grew toxic.

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Despite the prenuptial and post
nuptial agreements, Lita

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believed she deserved more.
After sacrificing a decade of

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her life, the battle soon turned
ugly.

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A friend's husband secretly
recorded her phone calls and

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sold them to Jim for $30,000 in
the hope of using them as

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leverage in court.
On the morning of her murder,

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Lita was just hours from a
hearing to contest the

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prenuptial agreements that rainy
Friday when she answered the

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door for a man presenting a box
of roses with a pink bow. 2

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gunshots rang out.
One struck Lita in the temple.

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A neighbor witnessed the killer
fleeing.

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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.

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The murder rocked Atlanta's
elite.

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The brutality, the timing, the
setting in Buckhead all pointed

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to a crime of calculation.
Suspicion fell immediately on

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Jim Sullivan.
He'd stand to lose millions if

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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

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him to the crime.
The case stalled.

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Lita's family refused to give
up.

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Friends and civic leaders packed
her funeral.

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Jim's absence stood out, a final
rejection that was widely

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remarked upon and remembered to
this day.

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Eight months after Lita's
murder, Jim married his longtime

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mistress, Suki, but legal
troubles followed.

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He was convicted of perjury and
briefly jailed for illegal

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firearms.
During their divorce, Suki

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testified that Jim had confessed
to hiring someone to kill Lita

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boasting in Georgia.
You can hire those people for

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nothing.
You can do anything you want.

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Still, hard proof was elusive.
In 1992, Jim was indicted on

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federal conspiracy charges, but
the case was dismissed.

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In 1994, Lita's parents won a $4
million civil lawsuit against

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Jim, supported by testimony from
Suki and a jailhouse informant,

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but the Florida Supreme Court
overturned the verdict after

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appeal.
It was reinstated in 1997.

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By then, Jim had disappeared.
The breakthrough came in 1998

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when a Texas woman saw ATV
program about Lita's murder and

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recognized the story.
Her ex-boyfriend, trucker

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Phillip Harwood, had confessed
to her that Jim Sullivan paid

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him $25,000 to orchestrate
Lita's killing.

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Harwood admitted his role and
pleaded guilty to voluntary

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manslaughter, agreeing to spend
20 years in prison in exchange

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for his testimony.
Though he claimed he wasn't the

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triggerman, his confession and
his girlfriend's testimony

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finally unlocked the case.
An international manhunt began.

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Jim Sullivan appeared on the FB
is Most Wanted list, surfacing

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in Costa Rica, then Panama, and
finally in Thailand where,

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living in luxury with yet
another wife, he was recognized

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by a viewer of America's Most
Wanted.

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In 2002, Thai police arrested
him.

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After years of extradition
hearings, Jim was returned to

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Atlanta.
In 2004, prosecutors announced

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they would seek the death
penalty.

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The 2006 trial leaned on
Harwood's testimony and the

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evidence trail.
On March 10th, 2006, nearly 20

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years after the murder, the jury
found James Sullivan guilty of

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hiring the killer.
He was sentenced to life in

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prison without parole.
For Lita's family, it was the

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justice they had spent two
decades fighting for.

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As of 2024, Jim Sullivan remains
incarcerated at Augusta State

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Medical Prison in Georgia, aging
in declining health and still

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refusing to accept
responsibility.

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Phillip Harwood was released
from prison in 2018, maintaining

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his claim he wasn't the shooter.
Lita's mother, Joanne Mcclinton,

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now in her 90s, continues to
speak out about her daughter's

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legacy.
In October 2024, AB CS2020

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revisited the story in a special
titled A Puzzling Murder, which

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explored not only Lita's tragic
death, but the broader impact on

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Atlanta's Black community and
the chilling intersection of

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race, privilege, and justice.
That same year, Deb Miller

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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

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generation into Lita's world,
exploring the deeper

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undercurrents of race, class,
and gender that shaped the

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tragedy and the long struggle
for the truth.

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Lita Mcclinton's story is now
forever woven into Atlanta's

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history, a cautionary tale, a
challenge to remember Black

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women whose lives and voices
have too often been silenced by

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violence and power.
Lita was just 35 when she was

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gunned down.
A daughter, a friend, a woman

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trying to reclaim her life.
Her death was calculated

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cruelty.
Her memory lives on.

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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

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unrelenting pursuit of truth.
For her parents, it was never

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about revenge.
It was always about justice.

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May Lita Mcclinton rest in
peace.

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If you or someone you love is
experiencing domestic violence,

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help is available.
Call the National Domestic

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Violence Hotline at
1-800-799-7233 or visit

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thehotline.org.
Coming up, we're proud to

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premiere Bouquet at the Door
from the soundtrack for JC

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Reedberg's upcoming novel in the
No Tears for Black Girls series,

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Dead Mike.
Launching August 29th on Amazon

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Kindle just in time for Labor
Day weekend.

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Dead Mike is an urban suspense
thriller about an up and coming

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rapper searching for truth about
her past colliding with her

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estranged father, a corrupt rap
star, while an investigator

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closes in on a trafficking ring
run by a mysterious queen.

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With jaw-dropping twists and
page turning suspense, it's set

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to shock and delight fans of
this series.

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Thank you for listening to No
Tears for Black Girls.

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This is Samantha Paul.
Until next time, stay loved,

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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.

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Some flowers ain't for love.
Sometimes the street brings

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roses.
And my spirit broke these chains

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from old 4th war to West.
And they whisper when I pass on.

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Three angels got my back, But
serpents in the grass money turn

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my lover to a demon overnight.
There's lessons in betrayal

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every Scott and earnest stripes
showering out in Buckhead echo

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through the Mechanicsville Mama
burn a sage.

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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

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for the falling souls.
Now the streets gonna sing my

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name.
Bouquet at the door.

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Atlanta Rain can't wash my pain,
But legends born from struggle

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and my spirit broke these
chains.

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There's always been roses and
warnings in this city.

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Bouquet at the door turn my pain
into a ministry.

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Every ending's just his story.
OK, At the door.