Carl Millard Patton Jr.: The Flint River Killer
Overview
Carl Millard Patton Jr., commonly known as the "Flint River Killer," was an American serial killer responsible for five murders in Georgia between 1973 and 1977. Several of the killings were carried out with Patton's friend and accomplice, Joseph Thomas "Joe" Cleveland. The crimes involved murder-for-hire arrangements, insurance money, personal retaliation and Patton's eventual effort to silence the accomplice who could expose him.
Patton remained free for approximately 25 years after the final murders. Although investigators suspected him in 1977, the physical evidence available at the time was not sufficient to obtain a conviction. The case was revived decades later, when modern DNA testing connected Patton to evidence from one of the crime scenes. Following his arrest in February 2003, his wife, Norma Patton, agreed to cooperate with authorities and revealed how the victims had been killed and their bodies concealed.
The Murder of Richard Russell Jackson
Patton's first confirmed victim was 41-year-old Richard Russell Jackson, who was killed on March 9, 1973. Jackson was married to Marie Jackson, a woman who later used the name Marie Jackson Wyatt. According to Patton's eventual confession, Marie approached him about killing her husband and claimed that Jackson had abused her. Prosecutors and members of Jackson's family believed that financial gain, including insurance money, was also an important motive.
Patton enlisted Joe Cleveland to help carry out the killing. The men persuaded Jackson to enter their vehicle and drove him to a wooded area near Ellenwood in Henry County, Georgia. Patton was armed with a .22-caliber handgun. When Jackson realized that he was in danger, he resisted, escaped from the vehicle and attempted to run away. Patton and Cleveland pursued him and shot him to death.
The crime remained unsolved for three decades. Patton did not admit responsibility until April 2003, after he had already pleaded guilty to four murders committed in 1977. He formally pleaded guilty to Jackson's murder on May 14, 2003, and received an additional life sentence.
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