A jury last week found Link guilty of two counts of murder in the death nearly 25 years ago of his girlfriend, 28-year-old Shannon Noel Anderson.
“Mr. Link, you are advised that in the event you are paroled at some future date, you’ll be supervised by the Adult Parole Authority for the balance of your life,” Dankof said. “Because this is a mandatory prison term, there is no opportunity for earned credit. There is no opportunity for early or judicial release in this matter.”
Anderson and Link were in a relationship during the summer of 2001. They, along with Anderson’s two daughters, then ages 7 and 9, lived together at a house in the 4500 block of Far Hills Avenue, just south of David Road in Kettering.
Link reported on July 30, 2001, to Montgomery County Children Services that Anderson left that Saturday, on July 28, and that he could not care for the girls. He said he did not know where she was and had not heard from her. Children Services said to call the police. That day, Link reported to the Kettering Police Department that Anderson was missing.
What started as a missing persons case evolved into a homicide investigation a little more than two weeks later. A decomposed body was discovered Aug. 16, 2001, which later was identified as Anderson through DNA testing. She died of blunt-force injuries to the head, according to the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office.
Before sentencing, Link addressed the court, asking for any leniency possible in his sentence, “not just for me but for my wife and my kids and my grandchildren,” he said.
Link said he maintains his innocence and plans to file an appeal.
“I think of myself as an honest, hardworking person who likes helping others. I will always have a place in my heart for Shannon and her kids … I prayed for them for so many years, 24 years, I have. Although they might think this case is closed, in reality it’s no closer than it was 24 years ago,” he said.
Anderson’s daughter, 31-year-old Alexandrea McCulley, was 7 when her mother died.
“My mom was beautiful and courageous. She was a mother and sister and an aunt, and now, after all these years, she would’ve been a grandmother. At 7 years old, your mom’s your world,” McCulley said during her victim’s impact statement before sentencing.
In the years since her death, Anderson missed important milestones, including the birth of her granddaughters and watching her daughter put herself through college as a single mother, graduating with a biology degree.
McCulley, who testified during Link’s trial, said he was abusive to her mother and that she and her sister were in the adjoining bedroom during the deadly attack.
“We shoved our dresser against the door to protect ourself,” she said. “We were scared of him.”
McCulley said she didn’t think Link’s statement to the court came from the heart.
“I was a witness to him cleaning up the crime scene. I don’t care what he has to say,” she said.
“I’m glad that he’s finally ... forced to take accountability for what he has done to my mom and to my entire family. Twenty-four years is a very long time to walk free,” she said.
The Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office is satisfied with life sentence, said Lynda Dodd, lead prosecutor in the case and chief of the criminal division of the prosecutor’s office.
“Most important, we wanted justice for this family. This family has waited for a very long time for this man to be held responsible for the murder, and the jury made sure that happened,” she said.
About the Author
