The Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles denied Judith Ann Neeley’s request to be released from prison on Wednesday.
Neelley is next eligible in 2023.
Testifying against Neeley was relatives of her victims, Lisa Ann Millican and Janice Chatman.
Neelley is incarcerated at Julia Tutwiler Prison.
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Despite recent media reports indicating Judith Ann Neelley has waived or attempted to waive parole, that hearing is still slated to take place May 23 in Montgomery according to the Alabama Board of Pardon & Paroles.
AL.com reported April 30 that Neelley wanted to waive the hearing. Neeley wrote in a letter obtained exclusively by Al.com “I know that now is not the right time. In order to spare the Millican family the pain and trauma of having to attend the hearing, I have agreed to waive my right to be considered for parole at this time.”
An email to WEIS News from the Board of Pardon and Paroles on Thursday said “For the sake of making necessary clarification to the public and all involved stakeholders, including those who have received official hearing notifications from the Board, the Board reports that no official waiver process has occurred in her case as would be required for the Board to give effect to Ms. Neelley’s expressed intentions.”
That email went onto say “Unless and until the required waiver process is completed by Ms. Neelley, the Board will move forward with conducting her scheduled hearing and will consider Ms. Neelley for parole like any other parole eligible inmate.”
Neelley was originally sentenced to die for the 1982 rape and slaying of a 13-year-old Lisa Ann Millican, however, outgoing Gov. Fob James commuted her sentence
Cassie Millican, who is married to Lisa Ann Millican’s brother, Calvin, is convinced the reports that Neelley was waiving her hearing were designed to derail the family’s effort to oppose her release.
FROM WEIS RADIO
PREVIOUS – May 2 2018
According to Barry Ragsdale, lawyer for Convicted killer Judith Ann Neelley,53, she has waived her parole hearing and as a result will stay in prison.
Neelley was convicted for the rape and murder of 13 year old Lisa Ann Millican back in 1982.
She and her then-husband, Alvin Neelley, kidnapped the teen from a mall in Rome and brought her to Alabama where she was taken to a motel in Scottsboro and raped.
Later Judith Ann Neelley injected Millican with drain cleaner in an attempt to kill her. Investigators said that after that failed she shot the child and threw her into Little River Canyon in DeKalb County.
“After much prayer and discussions with my children I have asked the Alabama Board of Pardons & Parole to cancel my parole hearing currently set for May 23rd,” … “in order to spare the Millican family the pain and trauma of having to attend the hearing, I have agreed to waive my right to be considered for parole at this time. I will continue to pray daily for God’s forgiveness and for peace for the Millican family.”
Neelley does retain her right to request a future parole hearing.
For more on this story visit the website www.al.com
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Convicted killer Judith Ann Neelley will have a shot at parole next month in Alabama, but should she be paroled, she will be facing a life sentence in Georgia, according to Chattooga County Sheriff Mark Schrader.
Neelley was originally sentenced to die for the 1982 brutal slaying of Lisa Ann Millican in DeKalb County, Alabama. That sentence was commuted to life in prison by then Alabama Governor Fob James.
Sheriff Mark Schrader told AM 1180 that his office was contacted by the Alabama Pardon and Parole Board this week concerning Neelley. Sheriff Schrader says that should Neelley be released on parole, he will be there to pick up Neelley to serve a life sentence in Georgia in connection with a separate murder.
In October of 1982, Neelley abducted a couple from a Rome service station. Janice Chatman and John Hancock were a young engaged couple from Rome. On October 4, 1982, they were abducted by Judith Neelley. John Hancock was shot in Gordon County, while Janice Chatman was brought back to a motel room, where Judith Neelley’s husband Alvan Neelley tortured the girl. The Neelley’s then drove the girl to Haywood Valley Road, just across the Chattooga County line, where Judith Neelley murdered Chatman.
John Hancock, however, did not die, and was able to point to Alvin and Judith Neelley as his assailants. Judith Neelley worked out a plea agreement to avoid the death penalty in Georgia by testifying against her husband. Judith Neeley entered a negotiated plea in Chattooga County Superior Court and received a life sentence to run consecutive to the sentence in the DeKalb County, Alabama case.
Sheriff Schrader told AM 1180 that he has already written a letter to the Alabama Pardons and Parole Board, assuring them that Chattooga County will take custody of Neelley should she be released from prison in Alabama.
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The brutal killing of a thirteen-year-old girl, thirty-five years ago resulted in a murder conviction for Judith Ann Neely. Neely was originally sentenced to die for the 1982 brutal slaying of Lisa Ann Millican in DeKalb County. Neely is now set for a possible shot at freedom next month.
A parole hearing for Neelley has been set for May 23 in Montgomery. Millican’s family is trying to organize protests to urge the board to deny parole.
In late September 1982, Neelley kidnapped the child from the Riverbend Mall in Rome and took her to a motel room for her husband Alvin to rape. After several days, Neelley took Lisa to Little River Canyon outside Fort Payne where she injected Lisa six times with liquid drain cleaner in a botched attempt to kill her.
After that didn’t work, Neelley led Lisa to the rim of the gorge where she shot her in the back and shoved her into the canyon.
Neely’s death penalty conviction was commuted to life in prison.
AM 1180, Chattooga County Radio
