On the tragic evening of October 19, 1979, the life of 23-year-old Judy Diane Barton, a Black/African American female who was eight months pregnant, was brutally cut short in her Richmond, Virginia home. This horrific event was not an isolated incident but the culmination of a violent crime spree that had been terrorizing the city. The perpetrators, a gang led by the notorious Briley brothers—Linwood, James, and Anthony—along with their accomplice Duncan Eric Meekins, forced their way into
the residence Judy shared with her common-law husband, Harvey Wilkerson, and her 5-year-old son, Harvey.
Inside the home, a scene of unimaginable horror unfolded. The intruders bound and gagged both Judy and Harvey Wilkerson. What followed was a brutal assault where Judy was raped before being shot multiple times. Her young son, Harvey, and her husband were also shot and killed. The assailants then ransacked the house, stealing what they could before fleeing the scene. The bodies of the family were discovered two days later, leaving the community in shock and fear.
The investigation into the triple homicide quickly led authorities to the Briley brothers and their associate. Their reign of terror, which included a series of robberies, rapes, and other murders, came to an end with their apprehension. The subsequent legal proceedings brought the full scope of their depravity to light. James Briley was ultimately convicted for the capital murder of Judy Barton and her son, Harvey, and was also found guilty of the first-degree murder of Harvey Wilkerson, rape, and robbery.
For their heinous crimes, both James and Linwood Briley were sentenced to death and were executed in the mid-1980s. The younger brother, Anthony Briley, received a life sentence for his involvement. Duncan Meekins, who provided crucial testimony against the brothers, received a more lenient sentence in exchange for his cooperation with the prosecution. The brutal murder of Judy Diane Barton and her family remains a dark chapter in Richmond's history, a stark reminder of the senseless violence that shattered a family and a community.
