Linda Raulerson's Murder Revisited

[Above photo shows enhanced view of Linda Raulerson's killer.]

This crime needs to be solved. It’s been more than a month since Linda Raulerson, clerk at Joy America Foods in Lake City, Florida, was mercilessly executed. I’m outraged by this murder, and disheartened that no discernible progress has been made in solving it. I hope the killer is caught soon and that the state will extend the same mercy to him as he showed to his victim.

July 22, 2008. 8:30 p.m.

A white sedan drives into the parking lot. It stops directly in front of the store. The driver gets out, walks inside. He wears a dark jacket with a hood and shuffles purposefully to the counter.

Linda Raulerson stands behind the cash register.

The man pulls a gun, a mid-sized revolver.

With no warning, he pulls the trigger. The explosion rocks the tiny room. Raulerson screams.

“Open it up,” the robber yells. “Open it up.”

Raulerson attempts to speak, but fear strangles her voice and the words are unintelligible.

“Hurry up.”

“Give it up.”

Raulerson opens the drawer, pulls out wads of cash, and hands the money to him.

“Pick it up.”

The robber’s voice is thuggish, threatening as he waves the pistol at Raulerson. The clerk dutifully pulls the last few bills from the drawer and stuffs them in his hand.

“Pick it up, pick the black thing up.”

The robber is too stupid to know that the “black thing” is called a cash drawer.

Raulerson hands him the last bit of cash.

“Pick it up, pick it up.”

“Okay,” Raulerson says and holds the drawer up so he can see there’s no money left inside.

“Gimme da money.”

Raulerson, perhaps thinking he’ll leave, responds, “There.”

The robber raises the gun and fires a second time. This is the shot that kills Raulerson. She lies on the floor for approximately fifteen minutes until customers come in and find her. Dead.

That quick.

Just so a junkie can huff another hit of poison into his lungs.

Here’s what we know about the killer: He’s black, probably between 5’ 10” to 6’ 2”, with an average build. At the time of the robbery, he wore a dark sweat-shirt with a hoodie. He wore a baseball cap underneath the hood. He had on long blue jean-type shorts and white sneakers. He also wore a shirt with stripes and had sunglasses on. The killer drove a four-door 1993-95 Buick Regal. It was white with dark trim.

Here are some things we can surmise about him. (1) He’s a drug addict. Most convenience store robberies are for drug money. (2) He’s spent time in jail and maybe prison. Addicts end up being arrested over and over because they commit crimes to fuel their habit. (3) He’s robbed convenience stores in the past since he looked too comfortable with what he was doing. (4) He killed Raulerson because he thought she could identify him. Either he knew her (maybe he was a customer in the past) or had been caught before when a clerk identified him. (5) He told others about it. This guy doesn’t look any too bright, and he’ll have to brag about his bad-ass crimes. (6) Eventually, one of his friends will get busted and give him up.

But here’s hoping it doesn’t take that long. If he's not caught soon, he's going to kill some other innocent soul.