Shivangi Sinha
In June 1997, while serving time in a Georgia prison, Jan Sandlin was indicted on charges of felony murder. Authorities had reopened the investigation into the 1971 death of four-month-old Matthew Golder and claimed to have uncovered new evidence against him. At the time of Matthew’s death, Jan was living with his partner, Kathie Almon, and her two children. In Paramount+’s ‘Burden of Guilt,’ Jan discusses the case and the various crimes for which he has been convicted. He responds to the allegations against him and maintains that he did not commit the murder for which he is incarcerated.
Jan Sandlin Alleged That 2-year-Old Tracy Raquel Had Killed Her Brother
Jan Barry Sandlin was born on June 20, 1950, and grew up in DeKalb County, Georgia. He was around 14 years old and still in high school when he first met Kathie Almon, and the two quickly fell in love. However, their relationship was not without its challenges, and after breaking up, Kathie went on to marry Ted Golder. Despite this, she and Jan rekindled their connection while Ted was away and started an affair. Not long after, she became pregnant and gave birth to a daughter, Tracy Raquel Golder, whom she claimed was Jan’s. Their relationship remained turbulent over the years, and when she later had a second child, Matthew Golder, Jan assumed the baby was Ted’s.
During this time, Jan had also married Nancy Tegeder, but she passed away in September 1971. The investigation into her death concluded that she had died by suicide. In the years since then, Jan has been accused of being her alleged killer. Shortly after, Kathie left her husband and reunited with Jan. The couple moved in together in Decatur, Georgia, along with Tracy and Matthew. On December 27, 1971, Kathie stepped out of the house with her daughter, and when she returned, she found Matthew unconscious. The police were called immediately, and Jan gave a statement claiming that Tracy had picked up her younger brother and thrown him out of the crib, which may have caused his injuries.
Kathie repeated the same statements, and in the years that followed, Jan rarely spoke about Matthew’s death. In the docuseries, Tracy alleged that when she once insisted on visiting Matthew’s grave, Jan struck her with his belt. She also claimed that he subjected her to various forms of abuse and made life unbearable. She also said that he allegedly abused her mother as well. In 1979, Jan was arrested in Florida for aggravated robbery and was sentenced to life in prison. This marked the beginning of his incarceration, but it was not the last time he would see Tracy or Kathie.
Jan Sandlin Was Tried Three Times For the Murder of Matthew Golder
In her pursuit of justice, Tracy Raquel Berns initiated a reinvestigation into Matthew Golder’s death. When his body was exhumed, the police conducted a new autopsy and discovered multiple injuries that were inconsistent with the claim that a 2-year-old had thrown him from the crib. Since only two adults were present in the house that day and Kathie was not home at the time, Jan became the sole suspect. The police also identified a severe head injury that indicated Matthew’s death was not accidental. Based on these findings, in June 1997, a grand jury indicted Jan on two counts of felony murder, with cruelty to children and aggravated assault as the underlying felonies.
Jan’s first trial began in November 1998, and the jury convicted him of felony murder, sentencing him to life in prison. The prosecution theorized that Jan was a violent man and had killed Matthew because he believed him to be Ted Golder’s son. However, shortly after, he filed an appeal, arguing that Tracy had not been properly sequestered, as mandated by the judge. The case was ruled a mistrial, and a new trial was scheduled for October 2000. In this trial, he was found guilty again, but soon after, his defense attorney, Corrine Mull, claimed that she had been ineffective. As a result, Jan was granted a third trial, and in February 2001, he was found guilty once more and sentenced to life imprisonment for his crimes. In the middle of his trials, he called Tracy and tried talking to her. She has alleged that he was trying to intimidate her.
Jan Sandlin is Serving a Life Sentence Today
Jan Sandlin remains incarcerated at the Marion Correctional Institution in Florida, where he will spend the rest of his life. Over the years, law enforcement has suggested that he was involved in organized crime and even suspected him of being responsible for the death of Officer William David Corn, who was killed in the line of duty in 1972. However, no official suspects have been named in that case. Kathie Almon has claimed that she was manipulated by Jan regarding her son Matthew’s death and asserted that she didn’t know anything else. Jan has consistently maintained his innocence and insists that he did not kill Matthew or had no involvement in the death. When questioned about why he blamed Tracy for the incident, he explained that it was never his intention, and things simply escalated at the time.
Read More: Nancy Tegeder: How Did She Die? What Happened to Her?
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