Jason Lee slashed his estranged wife’s throat in the hope of acquiring their marital home. Pic credit: South Carolina Dept. of CorrectionsThis week on American Monster, the team examines the case of Lindsey Lee from Lexington, South Carolina, who was murdered by her estranged husband, Jason Lee, in March 2017.
When Lindsey Lee failed to turn up for work at the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department, colleagues went round to her home to perform a welfare check.
They discovered her body in a bathtub with the water still running. Her throat had been slashed. An autopsy revealed that she’d also suffered strangulation and multiple bruising on her body. The cause of death was labeled as blood loss.
The cops were instantly suspicious of Lindsey’s estranged husband, Jason Lee. The pair had been separated for some time, and their divorce was due to be finalized the following month.
Without being asked by detectives, Lee attempted to explain his whereabouts on the night of Lindsey’s murder. He claimed his foot was hurting, so he took pain medicine and went to sleep.
When the police asked him about the scratches on his face, he told them he’d cut himself shaving. Investigators then learned he’d told his colleagues that a cat had attacked him. Lee’s inconsistent story was causing alarm bells to ring for the detectives.
Watch the Latest on our YouTube ChannelThe police further learned using supermarket surveillance footage and data from a Fitbit that he was lying about his movements for twelve hours around Lindsey’s murder.
Jason Lee had severe money problems
Investigators then learned that Lee was in dire financial straits. He was about to be evicted from his apartment, his car was about to be repossessed, and he had maxed out his credit card.
He also owed Lindsey $1,300, and colleagues testified that she’d threatened to send him to jail if he didn’t pay up.
A woman Lee was dating at the time would later testify that he was bitter that his ex-wife had acquired their marital home and was going to sell it for $30,000 to $50,000. On the day Lindsey’s body was found, Lee told the woman that his money worries were over because he’d now get the house.
The final piece of evidence that put Lee away in prison for the rest of his life was the retrieval of his DNA from the crime scene.
More from American Monster
Follow the links to read about more horrific murders profiled on American Monster.
In another case of marital murder on American Monster, Rebecca Fenton shot dead her husband Larry Fenton and then staged the crime scene to look like a home invasion. Police were suspicious and disturbed when Rebecca laughed and joked with them as they searched the house for evidence.
Joshua Jenkins was only 15 years old when he sneaked into his grandparent’s bedroom and bludgeoned them to death with a hammer. The seriously troubled teen then did the same to his parents. The following day he took his ten-year-old sister to a store to buy an ax, which he then used to murder her.
American Monster airs Sundays at 9/8c on Investigation Discovery.