Man gets life in prison for killing his ex-wife 20 years ago even though her body was never found... and the couple's grown-up son who forgot his mother STILL defends his convicted murderer father
- Clifford Friend, 56, was sentenced in Miami for the 1994 murder of his ex-wife Lynn Friend, then 35
- Prosecutors said he choked her in a rage over their bitter custody battle and dumped her body in the Atlantic Ocean
- Son Christian, who was 5 when his mother was murdered, stood firmly by his convicted dad's side, saying he's 'the best person' he knows
6
View
comments
A Florida man will spend the rest of his life in prison for the 1994 murder of his wife — even though authorities never recovered her body from where it was dumped at sea off the Miami coast.
Clifford Friend, 56, was convicted in July for the second-degree murder of Lynne Friend, 35, who vanished after winning a bitter child custody battle over their son Christian, then 5 years old.
Friend was expected to receive just 22 years for the 20-year-old crime, but Judge Teresa Pooler handed down a much stiffer punishment, WSVN reported.
'The evidence shows, sir, that you committed a monstrous act,' Judge Pooler told him in court Thursday, the station reported. 'Mrs. Friend's life was precious and you took it from her.
'Then you dumped her body in the Atlantic Ocean like she was a sack of trash.'
Clifford Friend, 58, will spend the rest of his life in prison for the 1994 killing of his ex-wife Lynne
Victim: Lynne Friend, then 35, disappeared shortly after winning a bitter custody battle against Clifford Friend. Her body was never found
On the night she disappeared, Lynne told her fiancé that Friend has called her to his Pembroke Pines home to pick up a child support check.
Later that night, US Customers officers spotted Friend and pal Alan Gold racing out to sea on his 30-foot Chapparal boat.
The officers saw the men throw something over the side of the boat before speeding off.
Her body was never found, but Gold testified against Friend in exchange for immunity — telling jurors that Friend confided in him that he choked his wife. He also said the duo dumped her body, stuffed in a large duffel bag, at sea.
RELATED ARTICLES
More money more problems: Instagram's 'richest kid' jailed... 
Oscar Pistorius granted bail despite judge finding him...
Apollo Nida says he has 'finally arrived' at prison to start...
Share this article
ShareIn court Thursday, the victim's son — who was raised by Friend and his current wife Janet — stood firmly by his father's side.
'I've been asked why I never questioned my dad about any of this many times by many people, and I never felt the need to,' said Christian Friend, now 25, according to WSVN.
'He raised me, and he taught me right from wrong and showed me what it means to be responsible and honest.'
Right before she was killed, Lynne had planned to leave Florida and start a new life with fiance Ed O'Dell after winning primary custody of Christian. O'Dell was also in court on Thursday.
In court Thursday, son Christian (right), now 25, said he didn't remember his slain mother and defended Friend (left), saying his convicted dad 'showed me what it means to be responsible and honest'
'I think he deserves the death penalty,' O’Dell said, according to the Miami Herald. 'I wish he could be hanged by the neck until pronounced dead.'
He then turned to Christian Friend: 'She gave you life, she nourished you, she cared for you. She healed you when you were sick. Everything she did, she did for your benefit.'
But Christian, who doesn't remember his mother, wasn't swayed.
'He is the best person I know,' he said of Friend, according to the Miami Herald.
Prosecutor Michael Von Zamft told the Herald that he was satisfied with the sentence but it was 'disappointing and depressing' that the 25-year-old Christian couldn't acknowledge that Friend 'cold-bloodedly killed his mother and took her out of his life.'
'I hope one day he understands what he has lost,' Judge Pooler said, according to the newspaper.
An accomplice of Friend's said the duo used this boat to dump Lynne Friend's body off the coast of Miami
On the night of Lynne's disappearance in 1994, US Customs officers saw Friend throw something over the side of his boat at this spot near Miami
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pa3IpbCmmZmhe6S7ja6iaKaVrMBwrdGtoJyklWJ%2FeIGSb2pwZ32Wu26zxK2qZqSZm7JuvNGiqqimXaC2rbjIp55mnahixKqyxGZpaWWpmq6zv4yanqhlkqSxunnNnq2eql2YvLa8y56qZp%2BipMSvedKopWaen6e0sMCMpqatoJWnepSgqIWDZpyVm7KvsNJmmqimpp6wtbHDZqSuqpSav6a%2BjJ%2BYraCVp3upwMyl