The Cannady version

The story passed down in the Cannady family is a confusing one, but in it, Claude Neal was not Lola's killer. According to George W. Cannady's grandson, George Cannady Jr., the murder was the result of a long-running feud. It began when Claude Neal's father, Jeff Neal, got two Cannady boys drunk. The boys were arrested, and Cannady blamed Jeff Neal and wanted him to cover the legal cost. But Jeff Neal died, so George Cannady went after a milk cow belonging to Sallie Smith, Claude Neal's aunt.

At some point, Sallie Smith and Lola Cannady got into a fight, his story goes, and Smith killed Lola with a hammer. Later, Cannady claims, Claude Neal raped her body.

What about George W. Cannady's assault and attempted murder conviction? His grandson said there was nothing to the dispute, that Dora King misunderstood the old man's anger — he went crazy because the mob killed Neal before he had a chance to do it himself.

Allie Mae

Claude Neal's daughter has always wondered whether her father killed Lola Cannady. She asked her mother once. She said she just didn't know.