Kathryn Barrett, a 24-year-old white female from California, was one of six known victims of convicted serial killer Anthony “Jack” Sully. Her death occurred in August 1983, during a months-long killing spree that terrorized the San Francisco Bay Area. Barrett, along with the other victims, was murdered inside an electrical supply warehouse in Burlingame, California. The method of killing was brutal—victims were beaten, stabbed, and shot.
Their bodies were then concealed in 55-gallon metal drums and dumped in various locations, including Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.
Anthony Sully, a former Millbrae police officer who had left the force in 1974, was arrested and later convicted for the murders. He had transitioned from law enforcement to running an electrical contracting business, during which time he developed a cocaine addiction and began frequenting escort services. Prosecutors described a pattern of escalating violence, beginning with the rape and murder of 24-year-old white female Gloria Fravel, followed by the killings of Kathryn Barrett and four others.
Detectives linked Sully to the crimes through forensic evidence, including his fingerprints found on the barrels containing the victims’ remains. The investigation revealed that Sully derived pleasure from torturing and mutilating his victims. At his sentencing in 1986, Sully denied being a monster, but the court upheld a death sentence based on the severity and premeditation of his crimes.
Kathryn Barrett’s death, along with those of the other victims—Barbara Searcy Gloria Jean Fravel Brenda Oakden Michael Thomas and Phyllis Melendez —marked one of the most chilling serial murder cases in California’s history. Sully remained on death row until his own death from natural causes in 2023.
