A brutal murder leads to a decades-long mystery | Forensic Files

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preferred platform [Music] the three member Slayton family lived in a one-story two-bedroom duplex off of
Brunell Parkway in the Florida City of Lakeland single mom Linda slept in one bedroom with her youngest son Tim in the
other Linda's oldest boy 15-year-old Jeff slept on a cod in the living room it was early on Friday September 4
1981 when Jeff Slayton woke to a strange s sound it was the crackle of a police radio Jeff quickly realized that several
officers had gained access to his home and were quietly moving about what's going on he
asked Jeff was told to get dressed and go outside he did so completely perplexed
as to why the police were even there the officers made sure he exited out the front door away from his
mother's bedroom Jeff wandered out into the morning light and was immediately taken
aback it seemed like every cop in Florida was standing outside his home along with the news crews and
reporters Jeff spotted his auntie Judy among the crowd she was crying Judy told Jeff that his mother
had been [Music] murdered [Music] shortly before Jeff woke up that day Judy Butler arrived at the slayton's
apartment to have her regular Friday morning coffee with her older sister Linda the sisters lived in the same
government-owned complex just three doors away from each other Judy knocked on Linda's front door
several times and waited when no one answered she headed back home along the way she glanced over at
Linda's bedroom window it was wide open and its screen had been removed Judy went to examine
it inside Judy could see her sister's still figure sprawled across the bed seemingly fast
asleep but Judy thought it was strange that Linda was lying horizontally instead of vertically with her head on
the pillow as Judy processed the scene she was suddenly hit with the realization of
what she was seeing and let out a blood curdling scream a maintenance worker for the
Housing Authority heard the scream and contacted police who arrived soon after 8: 3
a.m. they observed 31-year-old Linda slayton's body through her bedroom window it was clear she was
deceased the officers wandered around the property looking for a way in but all of the doors and every other window
was locked they didn't want to disturb the scene by entering through Linda's bedroom
window but Judy Butler was destroyed her nephews Jeff and Tim would be inside the apartment and she was
scared they might have been hurt too left with no other option and facing an urgent situation officers climbed
through the open window into Linda's bedroom the noise of their arrival woke Jeff Slayton in the living room his
younger brother 12-year-old Tim was asleep in the second bedroom you need to wake up a policeman
told a confused Tim go outside with your brother Tim wondered why the officer didn't mention his
mother still wearing his pajamas Tim headed towards the front door the door to his mother's room was
closed but when Tim walked by it swung open as a police officer emerged Tim caught a glimpse
inside his mother's body lay awkwardly on the bed her dress was bunched around her
abdomen exposing both her upper and lower naked body her underwear was on the floor and a wire was twisted around
her blooded neck it was a sight that Tim would never be able to erase from his mind 53-year-old Sergeant Edgar picker
led the Lakeland Police Department's crime scene unit he was a legendary fingerprint expert and only one year
away from retirement when he was summoned to the slayton's apartment upon arriving a detective
remarked to Sergeant picket who was African-American a black man don't have any business looking at a naked white
woman despite his successful career and upstanding reputation picket still faced
Prejudice on a daily basis of the many deaths he'd attended Piet had never seen anyone treated as
brutally as Linda slaten she had been sexually assaulted then strangled to death with a wire coat
hanger from her own closet all while her two young Sons slept close by aside from the displaced window
screen everything else appeared to be in place Linda's purse was still in her room and her jewelry lay undisturbed in
a box on her dresser there were no overt signs of a struggle indicating the altercation had
taken place in highly on the bed Sergeant picket examined the entire room for evidence shoe prints were found on the
carpet leading from the window to the closet Piet also discovered a partial pal print on the window
sill it cemented the police's theory that Linda's killer had broken into her room as opposed to being invited
in Linda's final movements were p together she and her sons had only been living in the apartment for about 2
weeks the previous afternoon of Thursday September 3 15-year-old Jeff Slayton had
arrived home to find there was nothing to eat the Slaton lived in government housing and relied on welfare they
didn't have much but Jeff knew his mother loved her family and did the best she could there could be two cans and a
bag of flour in the cupboard and Linda would still manage to make a feast her single priority was caring for
her boys Linda took Jeff and Tim out to the beach parks and to concerts with her
goal always being to have fun although she struggled to make ANS meet and keep her sons in line Linda
maintained a positive and happy outlook on life when speaking with police Jeff Slayton admitted to being somewhat
rebellious and clashing with his mother he maintained it was only ever typical teenage blowups and nothing
serious they'd had one such conflict on September 3 when Jeff became angry over the lack of food at
home he left the apartment and rode his bike to his maternal grandparents house they fed him and dropped him back home
at around 9:30 that night 12-year-old Tim Slayton had spent the latter part of the day at football
practice and was given a ride home afterwards he arrived at around 8:30 p.m. shortly before his older brother
returned Tim then attended a get together at an apartment next door with his mother a small group inside were playing
cards and Linda and Tim joined in at about 10:00 Linda went back to her apartment to let Jeff know where she was
then returned to the card game she and Tim headed home at about 11:30 p.m. Jeff was still up in the
living room watching television Tim went to bed as Linda washed the dishes in the
kitchen Jeff said that by now the tension between them had eased as Linda passed him on the way to
her room he said I love you Mom I'll see you tomorrow Linda replied I love you Jeff good
night Jeff said he turned the TV off at around midnight then fell asleep though he described his 4 10in
mother as weighing just 100 lb soaking wet Jeff maintained she was tough and capable of fighting back against an
attacker yet neither he nor Tim reported hearing anything a Miss during the night Jeff insisted that if he knew his
mother was in danger he would have rushed to help traces of seen found inside Linda
formed the basis of a rape kit as forensic DNA analysis was still a few years away investigators had to
narrow down potential suspects using more traditional means many people were questioned
including those at the C game l under attended hours before she was killed and other
neighbors police also spoke with a local construction worker named Bobby Dean who
Linda had been dating they discovered the couple had reportedly broken up 2 days before Linda
was killed and that Linda had told others that Bobby was possessive of her Bobby said he was at home with his
sister and mother on the night of the murder they confirmed this but couldn't be certain if he stayed home after they
went to bed Bobby agreed to take a polygraph test the results were inconclusive after that he refused to
cooperate with police police also looked into Jeff and Tim's father Frank Slayton he was described by Linda's
sister Judy as a mean no count scoundrel Linda and Frank met as teenagers and had their two children
young they'd married wanting to provide their sons with a proper family experience for years the four of them
had lived together in the neighboring state of Alabama but it hadn't been the happy
family unit the young parents had hoped for Jeff and Tim both recall times when their father had beaten their mother
Frank's violence escalated when he was drunk which was often when Jeff was 7 years old he saw
his father grab his mother by the throat then press a gun to her head Jeff intervened by pulling Frank
away he believed that if he hadn't done this Frank could have pulled the trigger in mid 1981 after 9 years of
marriage Linda had filed for divorce that was when she relocated to Lakeland with her sons for a fresh
start given Frank slayton's history of domestic violence and the sexual tone to Linda's murder he became a strong
suspect Frank who still lived in Alabama insisted that he was at home when his ex-wife was
killed after their mother's murder Jeff and Tim Slayton went to live with their maternal grandparents and never set foot
in their apartment again the boys referred to to the unknown killer as the monster and lived
in constant fear of him it took time before they felt comfortable leaving their grandparents
house the local community shared the same anxieties believing the person responsible was among them and would
strike again the Slaton boys spent many nights sleeping in their grandparents bed while
their grandfather stayed up guarding them with a shotgun in hand the brothers eventually returned to
school driven by advice their mom had once given them keep moving forward and never give
up Tim went back to playing football finding support among his teammates and Coach meanwhile Jeff Slayton faced an
entirely new battle you got big arms on you a detective once told him before adding
and you're strong enough to put your hands around your mom's neck and kill her like his father Jeff was considered
a suspect he was the last known person to have seen his mother alive and admitted
to having a he argument with her that evening Jeff cooperated with authorities but felt like he was being interrogated
all the time members of the Lakeland Police Department frequently took him out of
school just to question him Jeff voluntarily took a polygraph test which he passed when the police
wanted to perform the test again and floated the idea of putting Jeff under hypnosis his grandparents stepped in and
said enough they told investigators to leave Jeff and their family alone and find
their daughter's real killer being treated as a suspect caused the grief stricken Jeff even more
Agony still he ultimately agreed to sit the second polygraph test once again he passed while police accepted there was
nothing further implicating him he remained under a cloud of Suspicion the pressure took its toll
both Jeff and Tim dropped out of school feeling aimless and indifferent Jeff fell into a deep
depression during which he contemplated suicide the pair obsessively checked the
news hoping to hear of a breakthrough in their mother's case yet there was none every person the police interviewed
had their hand and Footprints compared to those from the crime scene none were a match and the slaten
case inevitably went [Music] cold almost 20 years later in 1998 a Lakeland detective named Brad GCE was
tasked with taking a fresh look at the case he told The Ledger newspaper they say a lot of times in a
case like this it's someone close to you who did it he had the Killer's Seaman sample
examined by a crime lab with updated technology permitting the extraction of a full DNA
profile detective GCE met with the Jeff and Tim Slayton who were now in their 30s both voluntarily provided DNA
samples neither matched the Killer Jeff Slayton was finally Vindicated and officially dismissed as a
suspect Linda's ex-husband Frank Slayton had cleaned up his life and was no longer drinking instead committing to
repairing his relationship with his sons he too gave a DNA sample which ruled him out of the
investigation other Persons of Interest including Linda's ex-boyfriend Bobby Dean were also
cleared detective Grace had reached a dead end then in September he received a compelling
tip the year after Linda Slaton was murdered a 10-year-old Lakeland girl was abducted from her home the as salant had
carried the girl out of her bedroom window where she slept he then drove her around for hours
during which she was raped and strangled her ordeal ended at an interstate overpass her attacker forced her to
climb over the side of the railing as she clung desperately onto it he pried her fingers loose causing her to fall 24
ft to the ground she survived and the man responsible was identified as 24-year-old Lakeland local named
jamesma he was charged with burglary kidnapping and attempted murder Alma was found to have a history
of breaking into people's homes on one occasion he was caught standing over a sleeping teenage girl
before fleeing it was also believed he was responsible for the death of another girl found dead at the base of an
overpass yet Alma wouldn't cooperate with investigators it was discovered that in September 1981
James Almer had been staying with a friend who lived in the same apartment complex as Linda
Slayton in fact the apartment was directly across from hers and he was there on the night she was
killed given Linda's murder shared striking similarities to W's known offending detective Grace was certain
he'd found Linda's killer by the time James Almer was on ch's radar he had been dead for 5 years he
passed away in prison reportedly from respiratory failure and had been cremated further complicating matters
was the fact that Alma's DNA was never collected and stored when he entered the prison
system detective gr spoke with the authorities who'd investigated Alma's previous offending because that case was
closed everything to do with it including DNA samples had been disposed of yet an opportunity arose when
detective Grace convinced Alma's mother to provide him with a DNA sample it could be used to determine if
someone genetically linked to her had raped Linda Slayton the results concluded that James
Elmer was not Linda's killer this was yet another major blow for detective GCE who was now back where he
started he remained in contact with the Jeff and Tim Slayton promising them that
he wouldn't retire until their mother's killer was caught he sent the Killer's profile to
the FBI's National DNA database where it was continually compared against new submissions but they failed to generate
a hit and a reward for information went unclaimed detective GCE told The Ledger there's still hope but man it's
tough it's frustrating when you know if you could just identify that DNA it's like having the suspect you just don't
have the name as years continued to pass detective Grace came to suspect that Linda's killer was likely
deceased after working on the case for 17 years Brad GCE retired in 2015 for medical
reasons he'd been unable to keep his promise to the Slaton brothers and felt he'd let them
down although Jeff and Tim were disappointed they had no hard feelings they just resigned themselves
to the fact that they'd likely take their last breaths without ever knowing who killed their
mom Jeff Slayton quote it's been rough my whole life not knowing who it is always being scared to
death I was friends with him always looking over my shoulder sleeping with a switchblade knife under my
pillow Tim Slayton told The Ledger it could be that guy over there you just don't
know by now more than two dozen detectives had actively worked on the Slate and case
leads were pursued inter state in Louisiana and North Carolina Jeff and Tim Slayton continued
to visit and call the Lakeland police department so the detectives wouldn't forget
them they wound up befriending these officers who reassured the brothers that they were still very passionate about
solving the crime but years continued to slip by with no arrests Hope was fading
in 2018 parabon nanolabs a company that specializes in using genetic genealogy to investigate cold cases reached out to
the Florida Department of Law Enforcement they asked if they wanted to send the DNA from the Slaton case for
further testing due to the growing success of this new form of Investigation 38 years had passed since
Linda's murder but the rape kit had been kept in pristine condition in anticipation For a Moment Like
This CC Moore was the head of parabon nanolabs genetic genealogy unit she was an expert in the field and
her team was given the slate and case File they began by uploading the Killer's DNA into a public Genealogy
website called Jed match customers voluntarily submitted saliva swabs to J ological testing
companies like Jed match in exchange for An ancestry report they could then connect with
family members and distant relatives via online databases similarly Cold Case investigators uploaded Anonymous DNA
from crime scenes to the same databases but with the intention of identifying suspects through their familiar
lineage this method was used to help capture the Golden State killer a year prior as covered in episode 53 of case
File unsurprisingly Linda slayton's killer had an uploaded his DNA to Jed match but genealogist CC Moore and her
team constructed a family tree based on his distant relatives who had they filled in the gaps using birth
certificates marriage licenses obituaries and social media it only took Moore's team a
weekend to uncover three genetic networks individual branches that converged into one single
family the family only had one son and he had roots in Lakeland in 1981 CC Moore was highly confident he
was the DNA contributor Tim slayton's favorite sport was American Football weeks after his mother was
killed killed 14-year-old Tim returned to the game finding Comfort among his teammates one of his biggest supporters
was his team's assistant coach a 20-year-old man affectionately called Coach Joe coach Joe's full name was Joseph
Mills when he wasn't volunteering with lakeland's youth football program Mills worked at a Dairy
Warehouse he knew Linda Slaton was a single mom who couldn't afford a car and helped her out by giving Tim rides to
and from practice in fact he had picked up Tim and driven him home on the very day
Linda slayum was later killed the next day police interviewed Mills briefly over the phone he wasn't
questioned any further meaning he'd failed to register on their radar it wouldn't have helped that those
who knew him would have provided glowing character references when genealogist CC Moore was tracing
Linda slayton's killer in 2019 all branches led to Joseph Mills better yet he was still
alive the now 58-year-old who lived on Bailey Road 30 minutes from the crime scene it was the same place he delivered
in 1981 Mills had changed a lot since then he'd gone bold and his facial hair had
gray he was still married to the same woman and not only did he have children of his own but grandchildren as
well over the past three decades Mills had taken on a variety of jobs now he was running his own cleaning
business Mills was also known to police in 1984 he had been convicted of Grand Theft after forging a will he
didn't go to prison but his handprint were taken and kept on file these were compared to the partial
P print lifted from Linda slayton's window sill it was a match the final piece of the puzzle was
comparing Joseph mills's DNA to that of Linda's killer investigators covertly surveilled
Mills for several weekends waiting for an opportunity to discreetly obtain a sample of his
DNA this would be done by picking up something he discarded like a tissue or coffee
cup when this approach failed investigator secretly seized mills's trash from the curb outside his
home after digging through the garbage bags they uncovered a piece of used medical adhesive tape for a colostomy
back a 2013 photograph on mills's Facebook page showed he had a colostomy back the tape was most certainly his is
but to be sure officers also collected two cotton swabs and a plastic spoon from the
trash all the items were sent off for testing 11 days later the results were in Joseph mills's DNA matched the DNA of
Linda slayton's [Music] killer following this police spoke with the Joseph Mills at his home he said he
didn't remember Linda Slayton or her murder he was then shown photographs of Linda and her two
sons this prompted Mills to claim he did remember them but hadn't known Linda personally he also said that he didn't
recall coaching Tim Slayton or that he dropped him off at the slayton's home the night Linda was
killed 8 days later on Thursday December 12th 2019 police met with Mills again and placed him under
arrest he didn't seem surprised and never asked why instead he was unusually calm and showed no
emotion during a subsequent police interview Mills was now willing to open up about his history with Tim
Slayton he asserted that whenever he dropped Tim off at home after practice he stayed in his
car Mills maintained that he had never been inside the slat home at any time for any
[Music] reason what we have tells us a different story a detective responded before
adding you were in that apartment Mills was informed that evidence placed him in Linda slayton's
bedroom with one detective remarking it's been 38 years and I'm sure you go to bed every night thinking
about this Mills remained in indignant reiterating that he had never been inside the
apartment upon learning that his handprints and DNA were found at the crime scene Mills changed his story
again he said that he had met Linda for the first time on Thursday September 3 1981 when he dropped Tim
home Linda approached mills's car to thank him according to Mills Linda gave him an open invitation to stop by for
quote a good time Mills took her up on her offer that night he entered her bedroom through her
unlocked window Linda was lying on her bed waiting for him Mills claimed that the wire coat
hanger was already around her neck and she asked him to tighten it for her pleasure they had consensual sex that
Mills described as wild during which he twisted the wire tighter and Tighter as per Linda's wishes Linda then lost
Consciousness after finishing Mills left back out the window without checking to
see if Linda had woken up he claimed that he'd only learned that she died when detectives questioned him about it
later Linda's autopsy results determined her injuries were inconsistent with consensual
sex there were even self-sustain claw marks to her neck consistent with her struggling to remove the
wire when detectives pointed out How Deep The Hanger was embedded in Linda's skin Mills maintained
quote it was a game detectives were unconvinced they were certain that after dropping Tim Slayton home Joseph Mills
returned to the apartment later having made the decision to rape Linda he broke in through her bedroom
window at around 9900 p.m. during a brief period of time when no one was home Mills then lay in wait in Linda's
bedroom likely hiding in the closet where he collected the wire hanger when Linda retired for bed that
night she walked into her room and closed the door oblivious that Mills was already in there waiting for
her [Music] Joseph Mills was charged with burglary sexual battery and first-degree
murder Jeff and Tim Slayton were stunned to learn a trusted family friend had killed their
mother the thought that Coach Joe could be responsible had never even crossed their
mind they hoped to see Mills face trial explain himself on the stand and face the death penalty
after being advised by his attorney that it was in his best interest to plead guilty to all charges Mills did
so yet he still refused to admit to killing Linda Slayton Jeff and Tim Slayton were in
court during sentencing in February 2022 surrounded by supportive friends and family they were both given the
opportunity to speak Jeff turned to Mills and tearfully asked over and over sometimes yelling
why I just want to know why Joe why'd you take my mama from me I loved my mama we were happy I hate you you can't die
and burn in hell fast enough for me Mills remained silent and stone faced in response Linda's sister Judy Butler was
met with the same reaction when she asked Mills do you have any Soul do you have any
remorse the court also heard from Linda's grandchildren who never got to meet her when the defendant was given the
chance to speak he told the court I am a good person I'm not that person that they're painting me out to
be he explained that he owned a successful business in which he gave people chances the judge was unmoved by these
claims he sentenced Joseph Mills to life in prison without the possibility of parole a tearful Jeff Slayton told the
metor outside Court I don't know if there's anything such as closure but it has been easier
knowing he's locked up Tim Slayton added it's not over in the sents cuz he's still walking and my mom's
[Music] not detective Brad G was one of the dozens of detectives who investigated
the slaten case over the near 40 years it went unsolved he had worked on it for 17 of
those years but had to retire before it was solved when Joseph Mills was identified
as the killer detective GCE blamed himself self for not having identified him sooner the Slaton Brothers felt
differently they expressed gratitude to all those who worked to find their mother's killer including detective
Grace whom they considered a friend in fact Jeff was so appreciative of the detective's effort he named one
of his sons after him the Slaton Brothers held the same regard for sergeant Edgar picket who
uncovered the Killer's part print on Linda's bedroom window sill this evidence helped solidify
Joseph mills's guilt by the time Jeff and Tim were able to meet picket and thank him he was 94
years old it was a case picket had never forgotten once his job at the crime scene was over his mind kept returning
to the two Slaton boys picket himself had children and was driven to solve Linda's Mur to give her
son's closure despite his involvement in the investigation picket had never heard the
name Joseph Mills and was unaware that the young man had been questioned early on in the
investigation in fact picket revealed that he had been told to compare the P print to a number of black men following
reports of suspicious activity by black individuals at the time picket who was African-American
himself had admitted that the Prejudice of his white colleagues influenced his own
mindset random black men were questioned and fingerprinted on mass meanwhile the
white football coach who'd been at the Slaton home the night Linda was murdered was completely
overlooked picket admitted that he didn't handle the case like he should have and it had been on his conscience
ever since despite this case detectives maintained that Joseph Mills didn't slip
through the cracks genealogist CCE Moore who had worked on hundreds of cases and solved
more than 50 using genetic genealogy said that Linda Slaton made her the angriest because the killer targeted
Linda while her children slept nearby when Joseph Mills blamed Linda denigrating her and making her look bad
in front of her own children Moore's disgust grew further CC Moore expressed gratitude to the
original crime scene investigators saying at the time this crime was committed they didn't even know DNA was
going to be used in criminal investigations and so the fact that they collected that and then it was stored
responsibly and carefully all these years by that department is so important if that hadn't happened we
couldn't have done our work in May 2019 Jed match the DNA database used to help solve the slaten case
changed its privacy rules it is now much more difficult to solve cold cases using this
method CC Moore said whatever one thinks about this decision it is inarguably a setback for
justice victims and their families Jeff and Tim Slayton have come to terms with the Joseph ms's outcome
but still lack closure it stung them that he was able to live a full life and raise a family
for four decades the brothers felt they were handed a far harsher sentence than he
was as they had to grow up and live without their mother still they harbored no resentment
towards law enforcement for taking so long to apprehend Mills with Tim Slayton explaining I know it's a lot of hard
work behind the scenes that people don't see that goes on you know what they do the hours upon hours they put in I mean
you could get mad but only so much could be done in a day the brothers have said that they
couldn't have survived their ordeal without each other over the years they stayed close living just a few miles
apart and sharing the same Hobbies so they could constant stly be each other's lives they visited their mother's
gravide often and lit a candle every year on the anniversary of her murder Jeff Slayton
quote my mom she's looking down on us and would want us to live our lives and do good I want to make her
proud after his mother's murder Tim Slaton cried for two weeks straight then he stopped and has been unable to
cry since some have seen his inability to cry as cold but it's as though Tim ran
out of Tears following Linda's death Joseph Mills continued to act as a friend to
Tim he continued picking him up and dropping him off at football practice during these trips Mills asked
about Linda's case and what leads police were looking into Tim didn't know it at the time but his
mom's killer was using him to scope out the ongoing investigation then a month after Linda's
murder Mills had a team photo taken in it Tim and his teammates stand side by side in their white
jerseys directly behind Tim was Coach Joe Tim saw his coach organizing this as a show of solid solidarity and
support he appreciated the photo so much that he hung it up in his bedroom at his
grandparents home he had no clue that he was looking at the face of his mother's killer
daily the photo was once a source of Pride for Tim but now it disgusts him he sees it as proof of how cold-hearted
Joseph Mills was worse still were the haunting memories of seeing his mothers brutalized a naked body in
situ Tim Slayton quote I've seen the crime scene it's in my head every day I've got to live with
that unlike his younger brother Jeff Slayton cries all the time he tells himself he won't but tears fall whenever
he starts thinking about his mother speaking with the journalist Paul's an about Joseph Mills Jeff said
tearfully the day he murdered my mom he murdered my childhood it was the last day me and my
brother were kids Jeff Harbor's immense guilt telling filmmakers of the CBS series the
Betrayal of Linda Slayton I would have died that night trying to save my mom I mean we're right
there in the house but but I didn't hear nothing how could you not hear something
like that it's so hard to live with that in order to explain why he and Tim didn't hear the attack Jeff believes
that Joseph Mills threatened their mother to keep quiet or else he'd hurt her children Jeff Slayton
quote so she saved us is the way we look at it she could have screamed and yelled
like a lot of people would have done if you're in that position but again she was looking out for us that was probably
the last thing on her mind was [Music] us [Music] e

Case 277: Linda Slaten

*** Content warnings: Sexual assault, domestic violence *** Jeff and Tim Slaten woke on the morning of Friday, September 4 1981, to find their home teeming with police. Their mother, Linda, had been raped and murdered during the night.

Neither brother heard a thing, and despite the killer having left pivotal evidence behind, it quickly became clear that this wasn’t an open-and-shut case.

CREDITS

Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Milly Raso Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn

SOCIAL LINKS

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RESOURCES

For all credits and sources, please visit https://casefilepodcast.com/case-277-linda-slaten

Brief Summary

Linda Slayton was murdered in 1981; her sons faced years of uncertainty before Joseph Mills was identified as the killer in 2019.

Key points

The Slayton Family Tragedy. The Slayton family faces a devastating loss when Linda is murdered in their home.
The Investigation Begins. Police discover Linda Slayton's body and begin a complex investigation into her murder.
DNA Advances in Cold Case. After decades, new DNA technology offers hope in solving Linda Slayton's murder.
The Arrest of Joseph Mills. Joseph Mills is arrested for the murder of Linda Slayton, shocking those who knew him.
Trial and Sentencing. Mills pleads guilty but maintains his innocence regarding the murder, leading to a life sentence.
The Impact on the Slayton Brothers. Jeff and Tim Slayton share their grief and anger over their mother's murder.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

It's been rough my whole life not knowing who it is.

Jeff Slayton reflects on the impact of his mother's unsolved murder.

21:57WatchMar 23, 2024

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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