Report: Ala. killer left note explaining spree
DOTHAN, Ala. — The man who killed 10 people during last month’s shooting spree in south Alabama left a letter for relatives, writing that he wanted people to pay for making his mother and him suffer, according to a report published Wednesday.
In the letter obtained by The Dothan Eagle newspaper, Michael McLendon wrote that he shot his mother to death while she slept, then set fire to the rural home they shared. After leaving the burning house March 10, McLendon went on a 24-mile shooting spree with four guns and more than 200 rounds of ammunition. He killed nine more people, including four other relatives, before committing suicide.
“Moma was very sick. Had lung cancer I think. So I put her out of her misery,” McLendon wrote. “I’m sorry! But Moma had suffered enough. And so have I. Some of the people who made us suffer will pay.”
An autopsy did not support McLendon’s claims about his mother being ill, said Coffee County Chief Deputy R.W. Whitworth.
“It does not mention anything in that autopsy report about cancer. It didn’t find any kind of illness,” Whitworth told The Associated Press in a phone interview.
The letter to a family member was found in a mailbox near McLendon’s home in the Holley’s Store community.
Also, 911 recordings from the day of the shooting showed authorities struggled to understand the scope of the violence, which covered two counties.
McLendon said he had planned the shootings for later but went ahead because his mother had been suspended from her job at a poultry plant.
Authorities had earlier revealed the existence of McLendon’s letter but refused to release its contents. They previously said McLendon was frustrated by his inability to hold a steady job, and particularly his failure to join the Marine Corps or become a police officer.
The letter was an included in a 25-page summary of the shooting investigation obtained by The Dothan Eagle through an Alabama Open Records request.
District Attorney Gary McAliley, who released the report and the 911 tapes, said Wednesday the investigation was winding down and personal effects that had been held were being returned to McLendon family members.
He also said the autopsy showed that Lisa McLendon did not have cancer, as her son’s letter indicated, and that the gun he used to kill himself, .38-caliber pistol, was the one used to kill her.
Another letter McLendon wrote to his mother soon after his high school graduation in 1999 hinted at what would soon be a futile attempt at becoming a Marine.
“Can’t swim … can’t do enough pullups … shoulder problems … not making the grade,” McLendon wrote.
He was discharged from Marine basic training in October of 1999 for “fraudulent entry,” apparently failing to disclose that he suffered from chronic shoulder dislocations. In a discharge letter, a Marine captain wrote that McLendon “needs to improve his physical strength and confidence. … He does not appear mentally sharp.”
In September 2003, McLendon left the regional police academy in Montgomery when he failed his physical. Evidence indicated the city of Samson refused to reimburse McLendon $227 for attending the academy since he left on his own.
The Eagle also obtained recordings of 911 calls from the day of the shooting that showed officers initially believed the man was firing automatic weapons, although authorities later said an investigation determined the guns were semiautomatic.
On the recordings, officers struggled to understand the extent of the violence. One talked about driving around in search of more victims.
“I just wonder how many more people we got that may be hit,” said the officer, who wasn’t identified.
Information from: The Dothan Eagle, www.dothaneagle.com
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