Where is Jim Sullivan now? Details explored ahead of 20/20 on ABC 

Jim Sullivan was once a rich man, but he is now serving a life term without parole for masterminding his wife Lita McClinton's murder in 1987. Lita McClinton, a 35-year-old socialite, was shot dead right at her doorstep on January 16, 1987. Later, it proved to be a planned shooting orchestrated by Sullivan himself.

For two decades, Sullivan was a fugitive but in 2006 he was caught and convicted. Today, Sullivan is serving out his sentence at Augusta State Medical Prison in Grovetown, Georgia. His case was featured on 20/20's "A Puzzled Murder," which aired on October 25 at 9 pm EST on ABC News.

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Jim Sullivan hired a hitman to carry out his wife's murder

Sullivan first met Lita McClinton in an Atlanta mall in 1975. At the time, she was working in a high-end boutique. He had already been divorced from his first wife and soon married Lita. Their marriage did not take much time to run into problems due to financial problems and accusations of infidelity.

Hopes of rejuvenating their relationship did not materialize even after moving to Palm Beach, Florida. Eventually, Lita decided to divorce him and relocated to another property in Buckhead, Atlanta. After their hostile separation, Sullivan plotted his wife's murder, instead of losing more money during the divorce proceedings.

Jim hired Phillip Anthony Harwood for $25,000 to commit his Lita's murder. On January 16, 1987, Phillip arrived at Lita's door with a bouquet of roses. The moment that she opened her door to inspect the flowers, he fatally shot her. That morning Lita was scheduled to be in court for her divorce hearing. That morning Phillip made a phone call from a payphone to Sullivan to ensure that Lita was murdered.

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How Jim Sullivan evaded punishment for years

Even though Jim Sullivan was at his Florida home during the time of Lita’s murder, the police still suspected his involvement. Lita's friends and neighbors helped the police prepare a composite sketch of the suspect hitman, but it led to nowhere.

Several suspects were briefly pursued but the police could not find their involvement. Eventually, the investigators refocused on Jim, and in 1992, evidence was collected to warrant Sullivan's arrest. He went to trial later that November but was acquitted.

Lita's family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Sullivan in civil court in 1994 and won a judgment against him for $4 million. Not long after, Sullivan declared himself financially broke and skipped town. It wasn't until 1997 that Phillip Harwood's ex-girlfriend stepped forward and informed the police that her former lover was the hitman.

Phillip Harwood later admitted that he was paid by Jim Sullivan to shoot Lita. In 1998, Sullivan was indicted, but he evaded arrest by fleeing to Thailand.

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Jim Sullivan’s arrest and 2006 conviction

In 2002, Jim was traced to a condominium in Thailand's Cha-am where he was staying with his girlfriend. He was arrested on July 2, 2002, and extradited to Atlanta in 2004. It took until 2006 for Sullivan to face trial for Lita McClinton's murder.

This time the prosecution presented strong evidence of his involvement in the murder. In March 2006, a jury found Sullivan guilty of Lita's murder and sentenced him to life in prison without parole.

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Jim Sullivan was taken to Augusta State Medical Prison located in Grovetown, Georgia. It happens to be a state prison that provides its inmates with medical and mental health care. Sullivan is now in his 80s and remains incarcerated.