Buckhead socialite murder conviction appealed
September 4, 2008 at 5:21 pm by Mara Shalhoup in NewsFormer Atlanta millionaire and international fugitive James Sullivan is appealing his 2006 Fulton County conviction on charges that he ordered the contract killing of his 35-year-old wife, Lita Sullivan.
Nearly two decades passed between Lita Sullivan’s 1987 murder and James Sullivan’s trial. Sullivan faced the death penalty, though jurors instead opted to sentence him to life in prison without parole.
The state Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments on Sept. 9 from Sullivan’s attorneys, who claim certain trial evidence should have been suppressed, several jurors shouldn’t have been excused, the jury should have been given the option of convicting Sullivan of voluntary manslaughter, and there wasn’t enough evidence of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
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