Bio

Michael Lindsey was born on August 20, 1960. By the time of the crime, Lindsey was 21 years old and living in Mobile, Alabama. He lived with his wife, Mary Lindsey, in a house located behind Rosemary Rutland’s home. Other people also lived in the house, including Ronnie Cobb and an eleven-year-old boy named Brazell Wilson.

Lindsey had a criminal record before the murder. The sentencing record described him as having a significant history of prior criminal activity, including juvenile offenses. He was also under a sentence of imprisonment at the time of the crime, although he was serving part of one sentence on parole and part of another sentence on probation. 

Before the murder, Lindsey was already familiar with the area around Rutland’s home because he lived nearby. This became important during the investigation because prosecutors argued that Rutland may have recognized him. The murder later became connected to a burglary, stolen property, and the use of Rutland’s credit cards.

Lindsey’s case became widely known in Alabama because of the trial outcome. The jury recommended life imprisonment without parole, but the trial judge overrode that recommendation and sentenced him to death. Lindsey spent the following years appealing his conviction and sentence. His final appeals were denied in May 1989, and he was executed at Holman Prison shortly after midnight on May 26, 1989.

Murder Story

On the night of December 14, 1981, Rosemary Zimlich Rutland was killed inside her home in Mobile, Alabama. She was a widow and lived near Michael Lindsey. At the time, Lindsey lived in a house behind her home with his wife and other household members.

Rutland’s body was found the next morning in a bedroom. Her hands had been tied behind her back, and she had been gagged. She had been stabbed in the back and shot in the head. The stab wound entered below her shoulder blade and damaged her right lung. The gunshot was fired at close range through a pillow and entered the top of her head.

Her home had been searched and disturbed. Several items were taken, including personal belongings and credit cards. Court records later connected Lindsey to property taken from the house. On the night of the murder, household members saw Lindsey bringing items into his home, including a microwave oven, a television set, a stuffed deer head, groceries, and other personal property. These items were later identified as belonging to Rutland.

The next morning, before Rutland’s body was discovered, Lindsey and Ronnie Cobb were arrested after they tried to use Rutland’s credit cards without proper identification. Police recovered other items bought with the cards, Rutland’s checkbook, and keys connected to Rutland’s vehicle. Investigators then found Rutland’s body.

Physical evidence also connected Lindsey to the scene. A palm print linked to him was found on a red air pump inside Rutland’s home. A footprint matching the sole of his shoe was found outside in Rutland’s yard. Neither the knife nor the gun used in the murder was recovered.

Lindsey first gave police different explanations about how he got Rutland’s credit cards and property. He claimed he had found the cards, then later said a man named “Bob” had given them to him. After further questioning, he admitted that “Bob” did not exist and said he acted alone. He also said he shot Rutland because she recognized him.

Lindsey was tried for capital murder in Mobile County, Alabama. He was convicted in 1982 of intentionally killing Rosemary Rutland during a burglary. After the conviction, the same jury heard sentencing evidence and recommended life imprisonment without parole. The trial judge later rejected that recommendation and sentenced Lindsey to death by electrocution on September 8, 1982.

Lindsey appealed his conviction and sentence for several years. His federal appeals included claims about his sentence and later claims related to his mental condition before execution. The Eleventh Circuit rejected his final requests for relief in May 1989. Alabama Governor Guy Hunt also refused clemency.

Michael Lindsey was executed by electrocution at Holman Prison near Atmore, Alabama, on May 26, 1989. He was 28 years old.