Will We Ever Know Who Killed the Flippos?

Four months after the explosion that both emotionally and literally rocked the small Franklin County town of Red Bay, three combined teams of investigators were no closer to finding their bomber than they had been on July 11, 1981. The three Flippo daughters had offered a ten thousand dollar reward for any information, with then-Alabama Gov. Fob James matching the amount. That amount of the reward in today's dollars would be roughly $45,000.00--yet, there were no takers.

After four years of no valid clues, then-Gov. George Wallace added still another ten thousand dollars to the available rewards. Investigators decided to release small amounts of information. An ex-boyfriend of the youngest daughter had been cleared, as had a band of Marion County bootleggers who lived near the home of one of the Flippos' older daughters. While never completely authenticated, investigators by now believed that Flippo, the former president of Red Bay National Bank, left the mayor's office in 1975 because of a temporary health problem. They also believe that Ruth, a retired school teacher, heard the bomber as he placed the explosive under the bedroom, causing her to attempt to stand and resulting in her unusual injuries. Those at the scene said her last words were, "Oh, somebody please help me."

By January 1993, Franklin County Sheriff Larry Plott declared the case at a dead end. Without new information, there was nothing left to investigate. The TimesDaily lists the 1985 murder of Florence teacher Tommy Morris as one of the area's oldest unsolved cases. Perhaps Red Bay sits too closely to Mississippi for many in the Shoals to remember the tragic deaths of J. N. and Ruth Flippo.

Their daughters and friends still remember. There's still a $30.000.00 reward offered for any information leading to the murderer(s). Surely someone knows something...


Thought for the day from Butch Hancock: Life in Lubbock, Texas, taught me two things: One is that God loves you and you're going to burn in hell. The other is that sex is the most awful, filthy thing on earth and you should save it for someone you love.

Shoalanda

Willis, May, & Plott: Open Books?

* Her husband beat her, stole her bank cards, and left her with two children to support, one of whom was seriously handicapped. Her father and brother had just lost their jobs, and DHR informed her it would be two weeks before she received any benefits. For those two weeks she wrote bad checks for groceries and gasoline.

* His wife and child killed by a drunk driver, he turned to alcohol himself. Due to an inheritance, he had no need to work, but was usually so drunk he forgot to transfer funds to his checking account. Eventually the Colbert County District Attorney's office refused to offer him continued leniency.

* She was abducted as she left her workplace, beaten, and repeatedly raped. Her physical and mental health diminished, she was unable to hold a job. Her husband deserted her, and her son turned to drugs, ultimately stealing her check book and with it all her savings. Experiencing a downward mental spiral, she continued to write checks with no money in the bank.

* Her father died six weeks after her mother's death, and her husband lost his job. There was a month's wait at Riverbend for counseling services, and she turned to alcohol. Her third DUI in as many weeks brought severe repercussions.

Obviously the four individuals cited here failed (for whatever reason) to handle their personal and health-related crises in a productive manner, resulting in all four spending time in local correctional facilities. That does not make them a Charles Manson or Bonnie Parker. Our system is broken, and there have been few efforts to correct its inherent problems. The fact that these individuals were not offered at least one chance at mental health counseling before being incarcerated is a shameful mark on the legal system in Alabama; the fact that some of theses individuals were not provided adequate nutrition during their jail stay is reprehensible.

Sources inform us that the Lauderdale Detention Center provides gourmet cooking compared to that offered in Colbert and Franklin Counties. For that Sheriff Ronnie Willis should be commended. Yet, he should still be held accountable for any funds left over from his food budget.

Do we know how much Ronnie Willis, Ronnie May, or Larry Plott syphon from the respective food funds of Lauderdale, Colbert, and Franklin Counties? The answer is apparently no. In less than two years these three incumbents will be up for re-election. If this archaic law of allowing Alabama sheriffs to profit from excess in the food budget has not been repealed by then, we need to hold these men accountable for our tax dollars lining their deep personal pockets.


What's up with This: The percentage of unsolved murders is higher in Lauderdale than Alabama's murder capital of Jefferson County. Apparently the stars of CSI receive more forensic training than local detectives.