Where is the hitman today?

When Atlanta socialite Lita McClinton Sullivan was gunned down on her doorstep on January 1, 1987, it honestly shook the nation to its core. That’s because, as revealed in ABC’s 20/20: A Murder Mystery, not only was she the daughter of local politicians, but it took over 11 years for her perpetrators to be identified. We say “criminals” because there were two people involved: her ex-husband James Sullivan and the man he hired to shoot her on the fateful day, Phillip Anthony “Tony” Harwood.

Phillip Anthony “Tony” Harwood was accused by his girlfriend

While little is known about Phillip’s early life, upbringing or lifestyle, we do know that he was a long-haul truck driver from North Carolina back in the 1980s. Therefore, it is not surprising that he could travel from one place to another and stay away from home for long periods of time without arousing suspicion, only to somehow get caught in a strange web. According to records, he once helped James Sullivan move furniture to his home in Atlanta, Georgia, which then led to the two developing an acquaintance of sorts.

However, everything turned upside down on January 1, 1987, when James’ ex-wife was fatally shot in the entryway of the same building by someone carrying a dozen long-stemmed pink roses. According to records, it was around 8:15 a.m. when the killer rang her doorbell to attract her to the door, but she could see nothing but roses when she looked through the peephole. So when she opened the door, the shooter immediately took action by shooting her directly in the head, and then turned and fled the scene as quickly as possible.

It’s important to note that Lita and James’ divorce hearing was scheduled for a later date – she filed for divorce the day after she discovered another woman had lingered in their bed. However, it wasn’t until Phillip’s then-girlfriend claimed in 1998 that she was with him when James handed him $25,000 in cash to kill Lita that the dots were connected. Authorities then concluded that the victim’s ex-husband ordered her murder to protect his finances, property and reputation without actually getting a divorce.

Philip Anthony “Tony” Harwood pleaded guilty

In May 1998, Phillip was charged with malice murder, capital murder, two counts of aggravated assault and two counts of burglary in connection with the 1987 Lisa Sullivan case. As for James, he apparently fled to Thailand that same year, where he was captured four years later, in 2002. However, despite initially pleading not guilty to the charges against him, Phillip decided to negotiate with prosecutors following James’ arrest and their clear statement that they would seek the death penalty if he was found guilty after trial.

So in February 2003, Philip pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of one count of manslaughter in exchange for testifying against his co-defendant James Sullivan. He was also sentenced to 20 years in state prison, with credit for 4+ years of time already served. In fact, everything remained the same, even though he technically didn’t keep his end of the deal. This is because when he took the stand during James’ trial, he maintained his innocence, claiming that although he took the money to kill Lita, he was not actually the criminal who pulled the trigger on her.

However, in 2006, James was found guilty after a day of deliberations and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on the murder charge. However, Phillips’ attorney has since told People magazine that while he “has maintained his innocence…we would not have entered the guilty plea if we did not believe the state had sufficient evidence of guilt to obtain a conviction.” However, as in any case where the potential penalty from the state is the death penalty or life imprisonment, the pressure to accept a plea deal is intense with the sentence that Mr. Sullivan received.” In other words, Philip still maintains his innocence.

Philip Anthony “Tony” Harwood is a free man, leading a quiet life today.

In 2009, Philip did file a late appeal in hopes of early release, but it was rejected. So, only on May 25, 2018, he was released from the Georgia Coastal State Prison, having served his full sentence (20 years with credit for time served), that is, he was free. He was on probation for a while, given the fact that he spent two decades of his life away from society, but even that has since ended, and it appears that he has since decided to lead a life away from the limelight. So, all we know is that this 70-year-old man now lives in Mount Pleasant, North Carolina, where he is surrounded by loved ones every step of the way. In other words, he seems to be doing his best to move on from the past to the best of his ability.