40 years after Linda was raped and murdered at home, it turns out that the perpetrator’s photo hung in her son’s room

Linda Slaten and her sons Jeffrey and Timothy. — © Lakeland Police

When the murder of their mother was finally solved after almost forty years, a new shock wave went through Linda Slaten’s two sons. The perpetrator was not unknown. In fact, they even had a photo of him hanging in their room for a long time, according to a documentary about the case.

Did she not want to drink coffee? So on September 4, 1981, Judy Butler paid a visit to Linda Slaten, her older sister who lived a few houses away in Lakeland, Florida. Since no one answered the door, Judy decided to go back home, until she suddenly noticed that something was wrong with the bedroom window. Judy peered in and immediately let out a scream. Her sister lay dead on the bed, her dress pulled down and an iron coat hanger twisted around her neck.

Linda Slaten, 31, a mother of two, had first been raped and then strangled, the investigation soon revealed. Who the perpetrator was, however, remained a mystery for a long time. Her ex-husband Frank Slaten, who had a history of abuse towards her, was first targeted, later the investigators also thought of her then boyfriend and even her then fifteen-year-old son Jeffrey was briefly regarded as a suspect. However, none of the possibilities turned out to be correct and the murder of Linda Slaten became a ‘cold case’.

DNA

It would take almost forty years before – thanks to new technologies – a breakthrough would occur. Based on DNA testing, Joseph Clinton Mills could be identified as the perpetrator in 2018.

Much to the astonishment of Linda’s sons Jeffrey and Timothy, because Mills was no stranger. In fact, long before and after their mother’s murder, he was their football coach. In fact, they had such a close relationship with ‘Coach Joe’ that they even had a picture of him on the wall in their room, as was now announced on the popular crime program ’48 hours’. “I had the killer’s photo in my house all the time, I had no idea,” Jeffrey testified in the documentary. “He’s a cold-blooded monster, that’s for sure.”

Although he initially denied the charges, Mills eventually pleaded guilty to murder and rape. He was sentenced to life in prison, without the possibility of parole.

Joseph Clinton Mills, alias Coach Joe. — © Politie Lakeland

2023-08-27 04:44:53
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