In the winter of 1977, the life of 28-year-old Joseph Thomas Cleveland, a white male, came to a tragic and violent end in DeKalb County, Georgia. A firefighter by profession, Cleveland had become entangled with a man named Carl Millard Patton Jr., a man who would later be unmasked as a serial killer responsible for a string of murders in Georgia between 1973 and 1977.
The investigation into Cleveland's disappearance and murder would unravel a dark and complex story. It was discovered that Cleveland had previously assisted Patton in the murders of Patton's own uncle, Fred Wyatt, and Wyatt's roommate, Betty Jo Ephlin, on November 12, 1977. A little over a month later, on December 17, 1977, Patton lured Cleveland and his 31-year-old roommate, Liddie Matthew Evans, a Black female, to his residence. It was there that both Cleveland and Evans were shot and killed with a shotgun.
In an attempt to conceal his crimes, Patton wrapped Cleveland's body in a sleeping bag, weighed it down with cinder blocks, and submerged it in the Flint River. Evans's body was also disposed of in the river. Days later, Cleveland's remains were discovered.
During the initial investigation, authorities questioned Patton. A search of his car revealed bloodstains in the trunk that were later matched to Evans. However, at the time, there was not enough evidence to bring charges against him. For years, the case went cold, leaving the families of Joe Cleveland and Liddie Matthew Evans without answers.
The breakthrough in the case came decades later, in 2003, when advancements in DNA technology allowed investigators to definitively link Patton to the crime scene. Following his arrest, Patton's wife, Norma, made the decision to testify against her husband in exchange for immunity from prosecution. Her testimony provided crucial, firsthand details about the brutal murders of Cleveland and Evans, solidifying the case against Patton.
After a trial, Carl Millard Patton Jr. was convicted for a total of five murders, including those of Joe Cleveland and Liddie Matthew Evans. He was sentenced to five consecutive life terms in prison, plus an additional 20 years. He is currently serving his sentence at the Dodge State Prison in Chester, Georgia.
