Millionaire Wanted For Murder

Police issued a murder warrant Friday for Florida millionaire James Sullivan in the 11-year-old slaying of his wife, Lita, an Atlanta socialite who was shot by a man bringing roses to her door.

Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard said the warrant charges Sullivan, of Boynton Beach, Fla., with arranging his wife's death.

Georgia Bureau of Investigation head Buddy Nix said police don't know where Sullivan is but are looking for him. "We have reason to believe he's outside the country," he said, declining to elaborate. He said authorities have contacted Sullivan's attorney to encourage the millionaire to turn himself in.

Mrs. Sullivan, 35, was shot to death Jan. 16, 1987, by a gunman who came to the front door of her Atlanta townhouse carrying a box of long-stemmed pink roses.

She was shot just as the couple's hotly contested divorce was scheduled to go to court. She was alleging infidelity and seeking the couple's $450,000 Atlanta townhouse, its furnishings and alimony.

Her husband was tried on a federal conspiracy charge in her death, but the charge was thrown out for lack of evidence in 1992.

Later, a jury in a civil wrongful death case in found that Sullivan had arranged his wife's death and awarded her family $4 million in damages. That verdict was overturned by an appellate court.

On Sunday, police charged Phillip Anthony Harwood, 47, of Albemarle, N.C., with murder in Mrs. Sullivan's death and said more arrests might be coming. They said a break in the case came within the last two months from a tip.

At a news conference Friday, Howard said police believe Sullivan hired Harwood to kill Mrs. Sullivan.

He declined to say if there are other suspects.

Sullivan, about 56, got most of his wealth from the liquor business he inherited from an uncle and then sold for $6 million, according to Brad Moores, who represented Mrs. Sullivan's family in the civil case.

Mrs. Sullivan's parents, Emory and Jo Ann McClinton, referred questions Friday to Moores.

"Their reaction is that they are very optimistic. These are folks who absolutely believe in the system," he said. "You have to understand that this has been a very, very long time. But it is a measured response because they have had some disappointments."

Moores said he learned after the civil judgment that Sullivan had transferred at least $3.3 million out of the country, but a court ruling blocked him from learning any other details.