Athalia Ponsell Lindsley

July 25, 1917 - January 23, 1974 (56 years old)

Spouse: James “Jinx” Lindsley (m. September 10, 1973)

Alias(es): Athalia Fetter, Athalia Ponsell, Athalia Lindsley

Cause of Death: Multiple lacerations and a fractured skull

Background: Lindsley was a former Broadway performer and political aspirant who resided in St. Augustine, Florida.

On January 23, 1974, James Lindsley left his wife at 5:30 pm.

At 6:10 pm, neighbor Locke McCormick (20) looked out his window towards the Lindsley home and saw a man raising and lowering his arms as if striking something. McCormick ran outside and witnessed a white middle-aged man wearing a white dress shirt and dark dress pants walking away from the front steps of the Lindsley home, leaving a crumpled body on the bottom step. McCormick sprinted back in to his home and told his grandmother, “Mr. Stanford is hitting Mrs. Lindsley.” The St. Augustine Police Department was notified at 6:12 pm. It was apparent that resuscitation would be futile. Medical examiner Dr. Arthur Schwartz stated that Lindsley was ”struck nine times by the machete on her hand, arm and in the head. One of her fingers was severed and she was nearly decapitated.” Despite these grievous wounds, the initial investigation reported no signs of struggle. Her husband found nothing missing from the home except a baby blue jay that Athalia had been nursing back to health. The cage in which the bird had been housed was described as “smashed.”

Investigation
St. Johns County Sheriff Dudley Garrett began investigating the “Mr. Stanford” that Locke McCormick mentioned when describing the events to his grandmother. “Mr. Stanford” was St. Johns County Manager Alan G. Stanford, another neighbor of Lindsley and McCormick.

Before Athalia’s death, she and Stanford had an alleged contentious relationship. In the previous year, Lindsley had appeared five times before the county commission board to complain about Stanford’s new raise on the grounds that he wasn’t certified as an engineer in the state, yet was signing documents as “city engineer.” After one complaint from Lindsley about Stanford, one of the commissioner’s replied; “I am aware you are a neighbor of the Stanfords and that y’all have had neighbor problems.” prompting Lindsley to respond, “That’s true. My life has been threatened. You mention personal things, he threatened my life.” Lindsley’s last appearance before the board was January 22, the day before her murder.

On February 17, county mechanic Dewey Lee alerted Sheriff Garrett to what he believed to be the murder weapon in a marsh a few miles from the murder scene. Upon inspection, the men found a machete, wristwatch, dark-blue pants, white shirt, belt, and a purple tie wrapped in a pink towel. Blood stained the items and blonde hair was found on the machete and the trousers.

Arrest and Trial
On February 22, 1974, Alan Stanford was arrested for the murder of Athalia Lindsley. Stanford maintained that he was “totally innocent of this thing and [will] put a lot of trust in the Lord.” He was released on $20,000 bond.

Asst. State Atty Richard Watson prosecuted Stanford asserting that the murder was vengeance for their noted squabbles. The wristwatch found in the marsh could be definitively linked to Stanford using the serial numbers by his jeweler. Additionally, the shirt and trousers found with the machete were found to have been bought by Stanford's wife, Patricia, on June 16, 1973.

At trial, the defense claimed that five witnesses saw Stanford at his office on January 23 between 6 and 7 pm. His assertion was that he had returned to his office to double-check permits to be mailed and to study for his engineering registration. Stanford's parents testified that the shirt and trousers could have been stolen during the police search and planted so that Dewey Lee could find them. Furthermore, the lone witness, McCormick, said that he later realized that the man he saw striking Lindsley had “more hair and broader shoulders than the 150-pound Stanford.” Stanford’s attorney Edward Booth launched a closing argument attack stating that “[investigators] were hell-bent on getting Mr. Stanford” to the detriment of justice. Booth maintained that neither James Lindsley, Dewey Lee nor anyone else were investigated properly. On February 3, 1975, after deliberating for two and a half hours, the jury acquitted Alan Stanford. In disbelief, the prosecuting attorney stated, “it would amaze me if anybody could go through that evidence in two and one-half hours.” The Panama City News-Herald incredulously remarked “during that time, the eight men and four women jurors elected a foreman, ate a meal brought in to them and considered a verdict.” Sheriff Dudley Garrett proclaimed, “yes, I think he did it. I signed the complaint against him, and I don’t concur with the verdict...if I’d been on the jury, I think I could have filled it in from the evidence and testimony.”

Current Status: no further developments are known
 * Alan Stanford passed away in 2006
 * James Lindsley passed away in 1983
 * Henry Duward "Dewey" Lee passed away in 1997

Other Media:
 * City Confidential "The Socialite and The Politician" (Season 3, Episode 5)
 * "Murder in St. Augustine: The Mysterious Death of Athalia Ponsell Lindsley" by Elizabeth Randall
 * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athalia_Ponsell_Lindsley