The Murder of Athalia Ponsell Lindsley

The Murder of Athalia Ponsell Lindsley: an excerpt from Haunts & Hollows: Florida Coast.

Not all of St. Augustine’s history past lies in the distant past. In January 1974, Athalia Ponsell Lindsley was a former model, dancer, and television personality living with her new husband James “Jinx” Lindsley, a successful real estate developer. Born to a wealthy family, Athalia had spent much of her childhood in the Caribbean and was rumored to have once been engaged to Joseph P. Kennedy before his death in World War II.

Despite all the trappings of an idyllic life, her world was not a quiet one. The previous year, Athalia began an ongoing feud with next-door neighbor Alan Griffin Stanford, Jr. Alan was upset over the noise made by stray dogs Athalia had taken in, and the pair had filed complaints against one another with the City Council. During the Council’s October 1973 meeting, Athalia even noted that Alan had threatened her life over the disturbances.

Late on the afternoon of January 23, 1974, Athalia was attacked while standing on the front porch of her home. Witnesses claim to have seen a white middle-aged male in a white dress shirt and dark dress pants wielding a machete. Another neighbor, 18-year-old neighbor, Locke McCormick, heard a struggle and reported called to his mother “Mr. Stanford is hitting Mrs. Ponsell.” The McCormicks rushed to Athalia’s porch where they found her dead and covered in blood.

According to medical examiner Dr. Arthur Schwartz, the attacker had landed nine blows with a machete. One finger had been severed from the hand, and Athalia had nearly been decapitated. While the house was unlocked, no jewelry or antiques had been taken. Police noted that the only thing missing was the victim’s pet bluejay, whose cage had been crushed.

Despite the evidence against him, Alan was found not guilty after being brought to trial. Friends of the dead woman claimed that his ties to members of the city’s government, as well as purposeful mishandling of the investigation and tainting of the evidence, led to the suspect’s shocking acquittal. Today, Athalia’s murder remains an open case.

A few months later, the victim’s neighbor and close friend Frances Bemis disappeared while taking an evening walk. The next day her body was found a vacant lot on the corner of Marine and Bridge Streets. The woman’s skull had been crushed by a heavy, blunt object. Critics have since noted that the second victim had once been a professional newspaper writer and may have been gathering material for a book on her friend’s murder. Her murder also remains unsolved.

Today, Athalia Ponsell Lindsley is buried in Tampa’s Oaklawn Cemetery. Her spirit, however, is said to linger near the spot where she was murdered. Soon after her death, neighbors began to report seeing a figure with the dead woman’s unmistakable posture and poise standing on the front porch of 124 Marine Street. The ghostly presence often appears in the early evening, accompanied by an intense cold. She is said to wave at those passing the house, then look out over the Matanzas River before disappearing with the sun.