In the quiet city of Mobile, Alabama, the life of 64-year-old female, Rosemary Zimlich Rutland, was brutally cut short on December 14, 1981. Her home, which should have been a place of safety and comfort, became the scene of a violent crime that would leave the community in shock. Mrs. Rutland was found in a bedroom, her hands bound behind her and gagged.
The cause of death was a grim combination of a stabbing to her back that pierced a lung and a point-blank gunshot wound to her head, fired through a pillow.
The investigation into the heinous crime quickly led to a suspect living shockingly close to the victim. Michael Lindsey, who resided in a rental house directly behind Mrs. Rutland's home, was apprehended the very next day. His capture was not the result of a lengthy and complex investigation, but rather his own carelessness. Lindsey was caught at a shopping mall attempting to use the credit cards he had stolen from his victim. The motive for the murder appeared to be robbery, with Christmas presents also being taken from her home. It was believed by the prosecution that the violence escalated to murder because Mrs. Rutland recognized her neighbor during the commission of the crime.
Michael Lindsey's legal journey was a tumultuous one. His first trial ended in a mistrial after the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict. However, a second trial sealed his fate. A key piece of evidence was the testimony of a police officer who stated that Lindsey had confessed to the murder, admitting he killed Mrs. Rutland because she had recognized him during the robbery. In addition to the alleged confession, his palm print was found on an air pump inside an open suitcase in the victim's bedroom. A young boy who lived in the same house as Lindsey also testified to seeing him driving the victim's car on the night of the murder and carrying a pistol.
Following his conviction for capital murder, the jury recommended a sentence of life in prison by a vote of eleven to one. However, the presiding judge overruled their recommendation, citing that the aggravating factors of the crime far outweighed any mitigating factors. Michael Lindsey was sentenced to death. After years of appeals, which were all denied, and a refusal of clemency from the governor, Lindsey was executed by electrocution in Alabama on May 26, 1989.
