The Making of a Murderer, Part I: Jessie Lee Grimes

For the past few weeks, cities within our nation have suffered tyranny from anarchists, terrorists, and racists who abominate all authority and most Caucasians.   Those who are illiterate of facts regarding our country's history of slavery have destroyed public property, marred and toppled statues, killed and harassed those both in opposition and empathetic to their cause and tried to erase or rewrite America's history.  Yes, our nation is afflicted with a past full of bigotry, biases, oppression, and sectarianism.  But it is also rich with humanitarianism, benevolence, courageousness, and industrialism.    America is the story of a rising nation that overcame its dark beginnings to rise to glory in the beacon of light.    History is never perfect, nor will it ever be.  All Nations have their share of stains that have tarnished their flags.   Those who have chosen to riot, destroy, and kill will have created their mark on our flag's fabric despite their disguised intentions.   But their terror and temper tantrums will not cover the blemishes created by our past because those smears are reminders of the mistakes we must learn from as a united country.   They are our tools that will ensure that separation, segregation, and division are a part of our past and not another page etched in our future.  Regardless of how history gets recorded, the truth remains the same.   We cannot change the past and who we were.   But we can change who we decide to become.

When my interest in genealogy peaked, and I decided to record my family's history, my parents encouraged me to embrace all aspects - the good and the deplorable.   My husband, Mitch, continuously reminds me that no matter how we narrate the story, the truth cannot be twisted into lies or altered by mere fanciful words.  Facts do not change even when we wish they could.   And so, I have made the difficult decision to share our family history as truthfully as possible.   Because of my decision, I have received ridicule, harassment, and insults with biased narratives that attempt to alter my history so that my reputation is marred.   It is especially true when I have chosen to reveal the rapists, murderers, and alcoholics that have shared my DNA.  My motives have remained consistent, though.  To teach our history so that we can learn from our past.   When I discovered that my family tree contained a serial murderer, I wanted to understand how some branches became infected with a poison that threatened to topple the entire tree.  While on the other hand, other limbs within our tree continued to shade the soil beneath them.   Here is the story of Alvin Howard Neelley and the branch of our tree that contained a murderer with multiple victims.      But to begin to understand Alvin Howard Neelley and his pathway to sadism, we must first start with Alvin's lineage and his mother, Jessie Lee Grimes.   The niece of my great-grandfather, George Montgomery Davis, and my third cousin.

Alvin's mother, Jessie Lee Grimes, was born to impoverished parents Thomas Marion "Tom" Grimes and Mary Elizabeth "Mollie" Davis on December 29, 1918, in Trion, Chattooga County, Georgia [1-3].   She was the sixth child of the eight children the couple had issued [4-11].  Along with Jessie, the couple had Maggie Mae (May 27, 1902-October 25, 1999), Minnie Lee (1903-after 1963), Essie Sue (September 9, 1904-September 29, 1956), Orval Russell (abt. 1910-1920), Salena Thelma (November 21, 1912-May 27, 1995), John Wesley (April 1, 1921 - May 12, 1970), and Russell Lamar (October 20, 1923 - May 1, 1963) [12-20].  Jessie's dad, Tom, was significantly older than her mother, Mollie, but they shared two commonalities.  Both were from large families who were farm laborers, so it was not surprising that Tom would follow in his family's footprints by providing for his family through the farming of cotton and laboring in the cotton mills [4-11].   Jessie would spend her formative years in Chattooga County, Georgia, but as with many children in her era, her formal education only proceeded to the seventh grade (21-22).

In approximately 1940, Jessie, at 21, married Andrew Lamar Farrington, the son of Henry William Farrington and Emma Elizabeth Hubbard, born June 17, 1918, in Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia [24, 27-28, 32].   Presumably, Jessie and Andrew's destined meeting chanced because of their fathers' common employment skills.  Andrew's father, Henry, also labored in the cotton mill industry, along with Jessie's.   Like Jessie, Andrew had a limited education, so their ability to achieve financial success would remain a lifetime challenge.  Andrew, to help support his new young family, sold fruits and vegetables while Jessie worked from home as a housewife [21-22].     Shortly after their marriage, though, Jessie's duties quickly expanded by welcoming their first child, Wesley Lamar Farrington, on August 4, 1941, in Trion, Chattooga County, Georgia [33-38].

Andrew Lamar Farrington

On Sunday, December 7, 1941, Japan shocked everyone in the United States by bombing Pearl Harbor shortly after the sun had risen with a promising day [39].  Japan killed 2,335 and wounded 1,143 Americans with its surprising, strategic strike [39].   By crippling our Armed Forces with the destruction of four battleships, three light cruisers, and 188 aircraft, Japan had pulled unwillingly the United States into World War II [39].   It was a war beginning with tattered armed forces and the destruction of another four needed battleships, three light cruisers, and 159 aircraft [39].    The unexpected attack on Pearl Harbor inspired many men to the call of national duty.  Andrew, seemingly, was one of them when he volunteered to serve in the United States Army on April 29, 1942, at Camp Forrest in Tennessee.   Andrew quickly rose to a Tech Corporal (TEC 5) in Company D, 2nd Parachute Training Regiment [29-32].   But as a paratrooper, Andrew, unfortunately, had a front-row seat to the European theater when the United States, Britain, and Canadian forces landed in Sicily on July 10, 1943 [43-47].     It is a moment that will stay etched in memory because, unfortunately, as Andrew prepared to jump out of the plane, his arm sustained an injury when his jumpmaster pushed him back into his seat [44].  It is also profound because he loses everyone else who had managed to jump when they perished from the incoming artillery fire [44].  Andrew remained hospitalized until February 1944 as he recovered from the paralysis in his ulnar nerve secondary to the removal of the shrapnel that he incurred [45-47].

During those months of recovery, joy came coupled with the pain from healing when Jessie and Andrew welcomed their daughter, Gwendolyn Eloise, into the world on October 21, 1943 [36].    Again, they embraced another child on July 6, 1944, when their son Bennie Andrew was born [33-34, 49].    But in December 1944, Andrew was re-hospitalized as a result of his previous injury.   He remained hospitalized until January 1945, when he was permanently discharged under article 614-360, deeming him no longer fit for military service [45-47].   Andrew served two years and five months and received the Purple Heart and other military decorations for his time served and personal sacrifice [23-44].   

Andrew Lamar Farrington

In the military, Andrew's achievements yielded decorations.   Sadly, though, as a husband, he failed miserably.  Jessie and Andrew's marriage, like his arm, was wounded while Andrew defended his country.   And despite still being married to Jessie, he practiced bigamy by marrying another woman on April 3, 1943, Rachel Marie Ward, the daughter of Hardy Clifford Ward and Laura Ellen Yow, born February 14, 1925, in Chatham County, North Carolina [50-51].  However, despite profusely bleeding, they remained together in bandages until finally divorcing in 1952 in Dade County, Florida [52-53].   Andrew quickly married again in 1953 to Jean Ethel Campbell, the daughter of Esther Ellen Westman and Charles P. Campbell [52-53].   Andrew gained two more sons through his marriage to Jean, Charles Andrew (July 10, 1954) and Richard Henry (July 20, 1956).   However, his relationships with his children from his prior marriages suffered throughout the years, breaking paternal bonds.   Because upon his death from lung cancer on September 19, 1963, in Fulton County, Georgia, his obituary intentionally omits his four children through his previous marriages [19, 54-56].   His internment is in Marietta National Cemetery in Marietta, Cobb County, Georgia [32].

Alvin Howard Neelley, Alvin's first son

While Andrew was moving on with his life, Jessie moved on with her own.   The ink was barely dry on her divorce decree before she met and married Alvin Howard Neelley, the son of William Charles Neelley and Rosa Elizabeth "Lizzie" Chestnut [57-63].   Born September 16, 1912, in Cherokee, Colbert County, Alabama, Alvin, also previously married, was a father of three too [57-63].  During his marriage to Maurine Estell Rowan (February 5, 1938), the daughter of John Thomas Rowan and  Saronnah Hannah Elizabeth Barkland, the two of them welcomed Dorothy Maurine (July 9, 1939), Alvin Howard (July 5, 1941), and Joyce Lefay Neelley (December 3, 1942) into their lives [62-67].    Sadly, though, Alvin lost his only son on August 28, 1941, just a month after his arrival [66-67].   So when Jessie delivered a boy on July 15, 1953, they also named him Alvin Howard Neelley Jr., born almost twelve years later to the anniversary of his first son's birthday [33-34, 61-62, 69-71].  Alvin worked in a textile factory producing gloves to support his new second family.

Unfortunately, instead of enjoying and relishing the arrival of their new son created from their love, Jessie and Alvin become embrangled in a court battle.    On November 26, 1952, when Jessie was only a few weeks pregnant, their lives suddenly and tragically changed.   One evening at eight o'clock, Alvin and Jessie hear rocks being pelted onto the roof of their house, angering Alvin [72-73].    Sounding like slag from the driveway of the nearby movie theatre, Alvin retrieved and loaded his .22 rifle and walked outside his house to investigate the noise [72-73].    He doesn't see anyone, but fifteen minutes later, he notices a group of five boys outside a drive-in movie theater near his house [72-73].    Without regard for their lives or rational thinking, Alvin opened fire upon the boys with his loaded gun [72-73].    According to Alvin, though, he merely wanted to scare the children [72-73].   However, within the blink of an eye, Zebedee Henry and Elna Amanda Ledbetter became grieving parents over the death of their ten-year-old son, Donald L. Henry [72-73].  Death caused by a bullet entering his left lung [75].  The following day was the family's first Thanksgiving spent without their son.  Immediately, the police arrested Alvin for first-degree murder [72-73]!

Instead of toasting the year and viewing the upcoming days with optimism, Jessie and Alvin faced the prospect of Alvin spending his remaining years in prison.   Alvin's future hung in limbo as he stood before Judge Werth Thagard on January 9, 1953, while being indicted by a grand jury [74].    His attorneys requested a different venue but immediately withdrew it [74].  On February 8, Alvin entered his not-guilty plea in his three-day trial to determine his life's outcome [75-79].    During the trial, Jessie testified on behalf of her husband and declared she had not noticed her husband leaving their house with a gun [75-79].   She stated that five minutes after exiting their home, Alvin returned and said that someone was hurt and that he needed to contact the police and an ambulance [75-79].   Alvin testified that he did not intentionally shoot toward the boys and shot only near the earth and to the right of where they were standing [75-79].  But the argument was negated when Donald's brother, David Henry II, testified they were all 20' away when Alvin fired the shot [75-79].   The most damaging testimony came from Sheriff Earl Kent's statement about Alvin's visibility, declaring that it was clear and that he could have seen Donald crouched in the bushes [75-79].   He also testified that Alvin had purposedly aimed the gun toward the boys [75-79].  Twelve witnesses testified on Alvin's behalf regarding his morals and character during the trial [75-79].   However, none of their testimonies would be as profound as a grieving mother who faced a jury and said that she held her son as blood seeped from her dying child's mouth [75-79].  Alvin's attorney, Roderick Beddow, said in his final argument, "All evidence indicated an unfortunate accident" [78-79].   Prosecutor Paul D. Hartley said, "Alvin lain in wait in the shadow of a smokehouse in his yard.  It is premeditated, malice [78-79]."   After an hour and a half of deliberation, the jury agreed with Hartley [78-79].   Alvin gets sentenced to life in prison [78-79].

Due to an appeal to the higher Alabama Supreme Court on August 30, 1954, in Alvin Howard Neelley vs. State, Alvin received a reprieve.   His attorney had objected to the toxicologist's testimony, stating, "it was irrelevant, incompetent, and immaterial [86]."  Beddow believed the toxicologist had not shown to the court that the circumstances or conditions of the scene were the same on the day that he inspected them as they had been on the night of November 26 [86].   "It would call for an illegal conclusion," said Bedow [86].   The higher court agreed to Alvin's appeal based upon case law Louisville & Nashville Railroad Co. vs. Sullivan, Alabama Great Southern Railroad Co. vs. Burgess, Spelce vs. State, and Sherill vs. State [86].  The courts ruled, "While it might be true that some of the conditions existing at the time the state toxicologist conducted its experiment, the experiment showed the evidence to be similar to those existing at the time of the killing, there appeared to be no evidence indicating that the height, density, or condition of the weeds, bushes, and underbrush on the vacant lot, which separated the place where the appellant stood and the place where deceased was at the time of the fatal shooting, was without material change on the date of the experiment [86]".   "It is our view that the evidence of the experiment did not furnish, or aid in furnishing, a safe guide to the jury on the issue as to whether appellant did see, could have seen, or should have seen the deceased since there was an absence of a sufficient showing of substantial similarity in conditions on the two occasions [86]".

After Alvin won in the superior court, the lower courts chose not to retry the case, although that is not certain.   I have been unable to find any further newspaper clippings to indicate otherwise.    Jessie and Alvin relocated to Bradley County, Tennessee, sometime after the trial, where they resided until their deaths.   Presumably, their move was to escape the stigma of the events from their troubled past.   In January 1985, Alvin died at 72 [87-90].   His relationships with the children from his first wife, Maureen, were strained since Joyce did not credit him in her obituary.   Along with their mother, Joyce and Dorothy altered the spelling of their last names to Neely.  Perhaps this was to create a distance between them and their father.    Jessie died on June 29, 1998, at 79 [91].   Both internments are in Sunset Memory Gardens in Cleveland, Bradley County, Tennessee [92].   Six of their combined seven children are all now dead, along with the secrets that they carried.

In today's "cancel" climate, it would be easy to tear up the newspaper clippings regarding this dark part of my family's history.   There will be some who will want me to do so.   However, ignoring that these events happened will not negate the fact that they did occur.    Some may argue that since those involved are only distant relations, it is not a difficult choice for me and affects those directly related more profoundly.   That is an argument that I could not and would not want to win.   It is a debate that the cancel culture should digest, too, since they are bringing havoc upon our nation for events that occurred centuries ago.   I am vested in my family's lineage, including those uncomfortable parts.   We all have those parts to our family trees.  We can not change events that have already happened.   But we can learn from them by discovering patterns, understanding onsets, and breaking cycles of abuse.   Slavery has existed since the beginning of time, and it continues today.    Besides physical bondage, however, some are consciously choosing to remain in psychological bondage.  They cling to their past and make excuses for their behaviors today.   History can embolden and only cripples us when we allow it to.

Originally published July 9, 2020

Sources:

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72. “Boy Is Killed: Man Quizzed,” 1952, November 28, The Decatur Daily, Decatur, Alabama, Page 1

73. “Greenville Man Held In Death of Boy,” 1952, November 28, Alabama Journal, Montgomery, Alabama, Page 1

74. “Man Is Arraigned In Shooting Of Boy,” 1953, January 10, The Montgomery Advertiser, Montgomery, Alabama, Page 4

75. “Murder Trial Slated To Go To Jury Today, Greenville Man Admits”, 1953, February 11, The Montgomery Advertiser, Montgomery, Alabama, Page 1.

76. “Slaying Case Nearing Jury,” 1953, February 11, The Alabama Journal, Montgomery, Alabama, Page 1

77. “Trial near Climax in Death of Child,” 1953, February 11, The Dothan Eagle, Dothan, Alabama, Page 6.

78. “Man Convicted in Boy’s Death,” 1953, February 12, The Decatur Daily, Decatur, Alabama, Page 3.

79. “Neelley Gets Life Term in Thanksgiving Eve Slaying of Young Boy,” 1953, February 12, The Birmingham News, Birmingham, Alabama, Page 1.

80. “In Greenville Boy Slaying, Conviction of Neelley Reversed By High Court”, 1954, August 31, Alabama Journal, Montgomery, Alabama, Page 3.

81. “Ruling In Death of Boy Reversed,” 1954, August 31, The Decatur Daily, Decatur, Alabama, Page 9.

82. “Supreme Court Reverses Case, Alvin Howard Neelley, Case To Be Tried Again In Butler Circuit Court,” 1954, September 2, Greenville Advocate, Greenville, Alabama, Page 1.

83. “High Court Reverses Slaying,” 1954, September 1, The Dothan Eagle, Dothan, Alabama, Page 12.

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