Stephanie LaGrua, a 58-year-old woman from Marshall, NC, died on December 15, 2012. She was born on August 8, 1954, in Jacksonville, Florida, and had resided in Madison County for the last 21 years. Stephanie was a member of Freedom Church and a former RN at Mission Hospital. She was preceded in death by her infant brother, W.W. Barnett, Jr., and her father, W.W. Barnett Sr.
Stephanie is survived by her daughter, Gina Randall, her brother, Stephen Barnett, her sister, Suzanne West, and her grandchildren, B.J. Boyer, Katilyn Porche, Miranda Randall, and Amanda Randall. She also had one great-grandchild, Dakota Payne, a niece, and two nephews.
Stephanie LaGrua and her mother, Hilma Barnett, were victims of a tragic double murder on December 12, 2012. James LaGrua, Stephanie's husband, pleaded guilty to two second-degree murder charges in the shooting deaths of his wife and her mother. James LaGrua, 66, was sentenced to two consecutive sentences, each running a minimum of 20 years and a maximum of 25 years. The court heard statements from family members about the impact of the shootings and testimony from doctors about James LaGrua's mental state at the time of the killings. Gina Price, Stephanie's daughter and James's step-daughter, described the sheer terror of the experience and the nightmares that still haunt her. She expressed that the killings robbed her not only of her mother and grandmother but also of the man she had come to see as her father.
Two doctors testified that James LaGrua experienced an extreme 'psychotic episode' at the time he shot both his wife and mother-in-law multiple times with a pistol and handgun. Dr. George Corvin stated that James LaGrua was filled with the 'delusional belief' that his wife and mother-in-law were possessed by demons and that he was 'compelled as a child of God to save them from the demons.' The plea deal spared James LaGrua from a possible death sentence, and his defense attorney expressed hope that he would be placed in a state mental facility where he would likely serve the rest of his life. District Attorney Seth Banks stated that the sentence ensured that James LaGrua would never again be able to harm anyone in the community.
