Velma Barfield
Velma Barfield holds a somber place in American legal history, not just as a convicted serial killer, but as a pivotal figure in the complex narrative of capital punishment. Her story is a chilling descent into addiction and murder, culminating in an execution that marked a significant moment for the nation. It's a tale that explores the dark corners of human behavior and the challenging questions surrounding justice and rehabilitation. Velma Barfield was the first woman executed in the United States after the 1976 resumption of capital punishment and the first by lethal injection. Her string of poisonings was fueled by a prescription drug addiction that began after a medical procedure, leading to the deaths of family members and employers. Despite a dramatic appeal citing dissociative identity disorder and her transformation into a devout Christian, her clemency requests were ultimately denied.
AI Summary
Velma Barfield holds a somber place in American legal history, not just as a convicted serial killer, but as a pivotal figure in the complex narrative of capital punishment. Her story is a chilling descent into addiction and murder, culminating in an execution that marked a significant moment for the nation. It's a tale that explores the dark corners of human behavior and the challenging questions surrounding justice and rehabilitation.
- Velma Barfield was the first woman executed in the United States after the 1976 resumption of capital punishment and the first by lethal injection.
- Her string of poisonings was fueled by a prescription drug addiction that began after a medical procedure, leading to the deaths of family members and employers.
- Despite a dramatic appeal citing dissociative identity disorder and her transformation into a devout Christian, her clemency requests were ultimately denied.
A Notorious First
On November 2, 1984, the eyes of a nation turned to Raleigh, North Carolina. That day, Velma Barfield made grim history: she became the first woman executed in the United States after capital punishment was reinstated in 1976, and the first ever to die by lethal injection. Her case reignited fierce debates about justice, gender, and the death penalty itself.
Early Life and a Troubled Start
Born Margie Velma Bullard in 1932, Velma's early life in Eastover, North Carolina, was far from stable. She grew up in a household overshadowed by her father's reported physical abuse, with her mother seemingly unable to intervene. Seeking an escape, she married Thomas Burke in 1949.
The couple had two children and initially found happiness. However, a hysterectomy and subsequent chronic back pain dramatically altered Velma's life. These events were a turning point, marking the beginning of a crippling addiction to prescription drugs that would eventually consume her.
The Trail of Suspicious Deaths
As Velma's addiction deepened, her first husband, Thomas Burke, struggled with escalating alcoholism, leading to bitter arguments. On April 4, 1969, after Thomas had passed out, Velma and her children left the house. Upon their return, they found the home ablaze and Thomas dead inside.
Just a year later, in 1970, Velma married a widower named Jennings Barfield. This union, however, was tragically short-lived. Less than a year later, on March 22, 1971, Jennings died of what was officially attributed to heart complications — though later investigations would raise serious questions.
The pattern of mysterious illnesses continued. In 1974, Velma's own mother, Lillian Bullard, suffered severe episodes of diarrhea, vomiting, and nausea, recovering only to fall ill again during a Christmas visit. Lillian died on December 30. Velma was later convicted of writing bad checks, serving three months in prison for the offense, a small shadow of the crimes yet to be uncovered.
After her release, in 1976, Barfield began working as a caretaker for the elderly in Lumberton. Her first clients were Montgomery and Dollie Edwards. Montgomery fell ill and died on January 29, 1977, his death appearing natural at the time.
Barely a month later, Dollie Edwards began experiencing symptoms eerily similar to those that had afflicted Velma's mother: intense vomiting and diarrhea. Dollie died on March 1. Velma would later confess to Dollie's murder, admitting she had poisoned her.
The following year, Velma took on another caretaker role, this time for 76-year-old Record Lee. On June 4, 1977, Lee's husband, John Henry, died after suffering excruciating stomach and chest pains, accompanied by violent vomiting and diarrhea. Velma later confessed to John Henry's murder as well.
Velma's final victim, Rowland Stuart Taylor, was her boyfriend and a relative of Dollie Edwards. Fearing he had discovered her forging checks on his account, Velma concocted a sinister plan. She mixed an arsenic-based rat poison into his beer and tea, then, chillingly, continued to 'nurse him back to health' as he withered away.
Taylor died on February 3, 1978. An autopsy revealed the undeniable presence of arsenic in his system, leading directly to Velma's arrest. This discovery prompted the exhumation of Jennings Barfield's body, which also showed traces of arsenic, although Velma denied that particular murder.
Though she eventually confessed to the murders of her mother, Dollie Edwards, and John Henry Lee, the state tried and convicted her only for the murder of Rowland Stuart Taylor. The evidence against her in Taylor's case was overwhelming and incontrovertible.
The tragic ripple effects of Velma Barfield's actions reached into the lives of many, including the family of her second husband. Singer-songwriter Jonathan Byrd, Jennings Barfield's grandson, chronicled the personal impact of these events in his song 'Velma' from his album 'Wildflowers,' offering a poignant, intimate perspective on the murders and subsequent investigation.
Life on Death Row and Appeals
After her conviction, Velma Barfield was incarcerated at Central Prison in Raleigh, North Carolina. At the time, the state had no designated death row unit for women, so she was held in an area typically reserved for escape-prone or mentally ill prisoners. She became North Carolina's sole female death row inmate, an isolation that underscored the rarity of her situation.
A Spiritual Transformation
During her years on death row, Velma Barfield underwent a profound transformation, becoming a devout Christian. She dedicated her remaining time to ministering to other prisoners, an effort that earned her commendation from renowned evangelist Billy Graham. This spiritual journey became a central aspect of her final years.
Her spiritual conversion, coupled with unusual psychiatric testimony, formed the basis for an appeal for commutation to life imprisonment. Dr. Dorothy Otnow Lewis, a leading expert on violent behavior and professor of psychiatry at New York University, testified that Barfield suffered from dissociative identity disorder, alleging she had a male alternate personality named 'Billy' who committed the killings.
Lewis claimed 'Billy' confessed to killing Velma's abusers. However, the judge remained unconvinced, famously stating, 'One of them did it. I don't care which one.' Ultimately, Barfield's appeal was denied in federal court. Facing the end, she instructed her attorneys to abandon any further appeals to the Supreme Court, expressing a desire to 'die with dignity' and accept her fate.
The Execution
On November 2, 1984, Velma Barfield was executed at Central Prison. Her final statement conveyed remorse: 'I know that everybody has gone through a lot of pain, all the families connected, and I am sorry, and I want to thank everybody who have been supporting me all these six years.' For her last meal, she chose Cheez Doodles and Coca-Cola, a stark contrast to the gravity of the occasion. She was later buried in a small cemetery in rural North Carolina, beside her first husband, Thomas Burke.
In an act of profound irony and perhaps a final attempt at redemption, Barfield had requested that her organs be donated for transplant. While her heart couldn't be used, her corneas and some skin tissue were successfully donated, offering life and sight to others even in her death.
Barfield's execution also stirred political controversy, particularly for Governor Jim Hunt. At the time, Hunt was challenging Jesse Helms for a U.S. Senate seat, and his decision to reject Barfield's clemency request became a point of contention in the highly charged political landscape.
Article
Velma Barfield
Margie Velma Barfield (née Bullard; October 29, 1932 – November 2, 1984) was an American serial killer who was convicted of one murder but was linked to seven murders in total. She became the first woman in the United States to be executed after the resumption of capital punishment in 1976, and the first since 1962. She was also the first woman to be executed by lethal injection.
Life and murders
Velma Barfield
Velma Barfield was born Margie Velma Bullard on October 29, 1932, in Eastover, North Carolina, but was raised near Fayetteville. Her father was reportedly physically abusive and her mother did not intervene. Velma escaped her tumultuous household by marrying Thomas Burke in 1949. The couple had two children and were reportedly happy until Velma had a hysterectomy and developed back pain. These events led to a behavioral change in Velma and an eventual addiction to prescription drugs.
Thomas's escalating alcoholism and Velma's resultant complaints turned into bitter arguments. On April 4, 1969, after Thomas had passed out, Velma and their children left the house; when they returned, they found the house burned and Thomas dead. In 1970, Velma Bullard married a widower, Jennings Barfield, but the union lasted less than a year, as Jennings died of heart complications on March 22, 1971.
In 1974, Lillian Bullard, Velma's mother, showed symptoms of intense diarrhea, vomiting and nausea, only to fully recover a few days later. Later that year, during a Christmas visit, Bullard fell ill again with the same symptoms but died after being hospitalized on December 30. The following year, Barfield was convicted of seven counts of writing bad checks and sentenced to six months in prison, but was released after serving three months.
In 1976, Barfield began caring for the elderly, working for Montgomery and Dollie Edwards in Lumberton. Montgomery fell ill and died on January 29, 1977. Just over a month later, Dollie experienced symptoms identical to those of Bullard and died on March 1. Barfield later confessed to Dollie's murder. The following year, Barfield took another caretaker job, this time for 76-year-old Record Lee, who had broken her leg. On June 4, 1977, Lee's husband, John Henry, died after he had begun experiencing wracking pains in his stomach and chest along with vomiting and diarrhea. Barfield later confessed to his murder.
Another victim was Rowland Stuart Taylor, Barfield's boyfriend and a relative of Dollie Edwards. Fearing he had discovered that she had been forging checks on his account, Barfield mixed an arsenic-based rat poison into his beer and tea. Taylor died on February 3, 1978, while Barfield was "trying to nurse him back to health"; an autopsy found arsenic in Taylor's system. After her arrest, Jennings' body was exhumed and found to have traces of arsenic, a murder that Barfield denied having committed. Although she subsequently confessed to the murders of Bullard, Dollie, and John Henry Lee, she was tried and convicted only for the murder of Taylor.
Singer-songwriter Jonathan Byrd is the grandson of Jennings Barfield and his first wife. His song "Velma" from his Wildflowers album gives a personal account of the murders and investigation.
Imprisonment and execution
Velma Barfield
Barfield was imprisoned at Central Prison in Raleigh, North Carolina, in an area for escape-prone and mentally ill prisoners, as there was no designated area for women under death sentences at the time of her incarceration. She was the state's only female death row inmate. A death row unit for female inmates in North Carolina was subsequently established at the North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women.
During her stay on death row, Barfield became a devout Christian. Her last few years were spent ministering to prisoners, for which she received praise from evangelist Billy Graham.
Barfield's involvement in Christian ministry was extensive enough that an effort was made to obtain a commutation to life imprisonment. A second basis for this appeal was the testimony of Dorothy Otnow Lewis, Professor of Psychiatry at New York University School of Medicine and an authority on violent behavior, who claimed that Barfield suffered from dissociative identity disorder. Lewis testified that she had spoken to Barfield's other personality, "Billy," who told her that Velma had been a victim of sexual abuse and that he, Billy, had killed her abusers. The judge was unconvinced. "One of them did it," Lewis quoted him as saying "I don't care which one."
After Barfield's appeal was denied in federal court, she instructed her attorneys to abandon a further appeal to the United States Supreme Court, having accepted her upcoming execution and wanting to "die with dignity." Barfield was executed on November 2, 1984, at Central Prison. She released a statement before the execution: "I know that everybody has gone through a lot of pain, all the families connected, and I am sorry, and I want to thank everybody who have been supporting me all these six years." Barfield chose as her last meal Cheez Doodles and Coca-Cola. She was buried in a small, rural North Carolina cemetery near her first husband, Thomas Burke. Barfield had requested that her organs be used for transplant purposes, but this was not possible since her heart could not be restarted. However, her corneas and some of her skin tissue were donated.
Barfield's execution raised some political controversies when Governor Jim Hunt, who was challenging incumbent Jesse Helms for his U.S. Senate seat, rejected Barfield's request for clemency.