In the early morning hours of February 15, 1992, in the small community of Bentley, Alabama, a tragic and violent series of events unfolded, leaving four people dead, including 22-year-old Bryan Barber. The male victim was shot and killed as he slept in his bed.
The rampage began after Jason Oric Williams, then 23, had spent the night consuming alcohol and drugs. He first went to the home of Gerald Paravicini, with whom he had been staying. Following a phone conversation with his estranged wife, Williams armed himself with a. 22-caliber rifle and shot Paravicini. He also attacked Paravicini's wife and shot her teenage son in the face; both survived the ordeal.
Williams then proceeded to the nearby home of the Barber family. When Linda Barber, 45, answered the door, Williams shot and killed her. He then moved through the house, fatally shooting her 50-year-old husband, Freddie Barber, who was in the kitchen. Williams then entered a bedroom and shot their son, Bryan, as he slept. Another son, who was 16 at the time, was shot in the hand but managed to escape and seek help.
After the killings, Williams fled the scene in the Barber family's van, taking cash and credit cards with him. He was later apprehended in Mississippi.
Jason Oric Williams was charged with four counts of capital murder. His defense team argued that his actions were the result of a mental defect brought on by his substance abuse and a pre-existing borderline personality disorder. However, a jury found him guilty of the murders. Following the jury's recommendation, Williams was sentenced to death. After numerous appeals, Jason Oric Williams was executed by lethal injection on May 19, 2011. Before his execution, Williams expressed hope that the victims' families would forgive him.
