Lynn Friend Disappearance and murder case is a tragic tale that spans nearly two decades, and she was just 35 years old when she went missing.
A Florida man will spend the rest of his life in jail for the murder of his wife in 1994, even though her body was never found from the water off the coast of Miami.
Clifford Friend was condemned to life in prison for the murder of his wife in 1994 by a court.
In July, Clifford Friend, 56, was convicted of second-degree murder in the death of Lynne Friend, 35, who went missing after winning a difficult child custody fight for their 5-year-old son Christian.
Also Read: Joanna Hayes Murder Case Update: Why Did She Kill Heather Strube? Where Is She Now?
Lynn Friend Disappearance And Murder Case Explored
Lynn Friend’s abduction and murder case has spanned over two decades. Clifford Friend, her husband, was charged with her murder in 2012, 18 years after she went missing. Lynn was just 35 years old when she went missing.
In July, a friend was convicted of second-degree murder for murdering Lynn Friend, aged 35, in 1994 and tossing her body overboard at sea.
According to the State Attorney’s Office, Lynn Friend vanished on August 28, 1994, shortly after winning a protracted custody dispute with her ex-husband for their son, Christian.
According to the State Attorney’s Office, Lynn Friend was planning to leave Florida with Christian, and Clifford Friend had opposed the move and promised to stop it.
Throughout the protracted investigation, officials learned Clifford Friend and an associate were witnessed by Customs and Border Patrol inspectors throwing a massive box from a boat in the Atlantic, according to the State Attorney’s Office.
Despite an intense search, authorities could never recover Lynn Friend’s corpse, and Clifford wasn’t prosecuted until nearly 20 years later.
“I’m not getting into how annoying it is to hear how I’ve become a wonderful person despite my Father because he is the finest person I know,” Christian Friend said before his sentence on Thursday.
Ed O’Dell, Lynn Friend’s ex-fiancé, was blunt about what he believed the punishment should be.
“I believe he deserves the death punishment,” O’Dell stated. “I honestly believe he could be hanged by the neck until proclaimed dead.”
Also Read: Video Mario Aniaya David: Why Did The Video Went Viral? Twitter Update
Was Clifford Friend Charged For Killing His Ex-Wife? Details To Know
Friend was supposed to spend only 22 years in prison for the 20-year-old offense, but Judge Teresa Pooler handed down a far harsher sentence, according to WSVN.
‘The evidence reveals, sir, that you performed a horrific deed,’ Judge Pooler told him in court Thursday, the station said. ‘Mrs. Friend’s life was valuable, and you took it away from her.
‘Then you dropped her body in the Atlantic Ocean like she was garbage.’ The victim’s kid, who Friend and his current wife Janet raised, stood steadfastly behind his Father in court on Thursday.
‘I’ve been asked many times why I never questioned my dad about any of this, and I never felt the need to,’ said Christian Friend, now 25, according to WSVN.
‘Dad raised me and taught me right and wrong and what it was to be responsible and honest.’
Lynne had intended to leave Florida and start a new life with her fiance Ed O’Dell after gaining primary custody of Christian. O’Dell was also in court on Thursday.
Prosecutor Michael Von Zamft told the Herald that while he was pleased with the punishment, it was ‘disappointing and distressing’ because the 25-year-old Christian refused to admit that Friend ‘cold-bloodedly murdered his mother and removed her from his life.’
‘I hope he realizes what he has lost one day,’ Judge Pooler told the publication.
