PopHistory | Murder in Saint Augustine

By Scott A. Grant
[email protected]

In the early evening of January 23, 1974, Athalia Ponsell Lindsley was hacked to death by an attacker with a machete on the steps of her home at 124 Marine Street in St. Augustine. The brutal murder remains unsolved to this day.
Suspicion immediately fell on Athalia's neighbor, Alan Griffin Stanford Jr. An 18-year-old neighbor across the street saw a man attacking Athalia and shouted to his mother, “Mr. Stanford is hitting Mrs. Ponsell.” The teen later recanted his statement, saying he could not be sure if the attacker was Mr. Stanford.
The coroner found that Athalia had been struck nine times with a machete, severing one of her fingers and nearly decapitating the 56-year-old victim. The only thing missing from the house was a blue jay, whose cage had been smashed.
Athalia and Stanford had a long-standing feud that began with the six rescue dogs she kept in her home, which Stanford said barked incessantly. In addition, Stanford was the county engineer, and Athalia frequently criticized him at county commissioners' meetings, claiming, among other things, that he lacked the necessary qualifications to be considered a county engineer.
Athalia Ponsell Lindsley was a wealthy northern socialite. She was born in Ohio but grew up on an island off the coast of Cuba. She was an attractive young woman and worked for a time as a model and showgirl in New York City. She dated and was reportedly engaged to Joseph Kennedy Jr., the older brother of future President John F. Kennedy. She also appeared as host on Bud Collyer's television game show “Winner Takes All.”
When she moved to St. Augustine, she was a northern outsider trying to change things. That didn't go well. She ran unsuccessfully for the state Senate and planned to run for a seat on the St. Johns County Commission. She regularly showed up to voice her opinions at commission meetings. At one meeting in October 1973, Athalia claimed that Stanford had “threatened my death.”
Four months before the murder, Athalia married James “Jinx” Lindsley, a former mayor of St. Augustine and successful real estate agent and investor. The couple did not live together. She lived in her home on Marine Street and her husband lived in the historic Lindsley home on St. George Street. On the day of the murder, they had traveled together to Jacksonville to shop before returning to their respective homes.
In February, county mechanic Dewey Lee discovered what appeared to be the murder weapon in the swamp a few miles from the crime scene. The sheriff found the machete, a watch, dark pants, a white shirt, a belt and a purple tie, all wrapped in a pink towel. The items were bloodstained. The watch was traced to Stanford by its serial number. It turned out that the pants and shirt had been purchased by Stanford's wife.
During the trial, defense attorney Edward Booth argued that the sheriff's office had targeted Stanford and may have falsified the evidence against him. Or perhaps it was Dewey Lee who committed the crime and falsified the evidence. Witnesses testified that Stanford was in his office at the time of the murder. The only eyewitness who originally identified Stanford now said the attacker was heavier and had more hair.
The jury deliberated for two and a half hours before acquitting the perpetrator. During this time they enjoyed dinner at the estate. Sheriff Dudley Garrett did not agree with the verdict and did not pursue the case any further, believing that he had caught the murderer.
The tragedy was not quite over. In November, a friend of Athalia's, Francis Bemis, a newspaper reporter who was investigating the case, was found dead in a vacant lot near the corner of Bridge and Marine Streets, her skull crushed. Like Athalia's murder, her murder was never solved. Some say the ghosts of both women still haunt the bay.

Scott A. Grant is a local historian and author. By day he runs Standfast Asset Management in Ponte Vedra. Comments are welcome at [email protected]