Roger Dale Stafford

Serial Killer

Roger Dale Stafford: The Oklahoma Murder Spree

Background

Roger Dale Stafford was an American murderer whose name became permanently associated with two exceptionally violent crimes committed in Oklahoma during the summer of 1978. Stafford, his wife, Verna Stafford, and his brother, Harold Stafford, traveled together while supporting themselves through thefts and robberies. Prosecutors established that their criminal activity escalated into the calculated murders of nine people within a period of less than one month. Stafford was born on November 4, 1951, in Sheffield, Alabama. He lived an unsettled life and frequently moved from place to place with Verna and their children. By June 1978, the Staffords had arrived in Oklahoma and reunited with Harold. The three began searching for businesses and travelers they could rob. Their plans culminated in the murders of the Lorenz family near Purcell and the execution-style killings of six restaurant employees in Oklahoma City. Roger Stafford was ultimately convicted of nine counts of first-degree murder and received nine death sentences. Verna later accused him of participating in dozens of additional killings in several states. Most of those claims were never proven in court, and Stafford continued to deny responsibility for the murders for which he had been convicted.

The Murder of Jimmy Earl Berry

Stafford was also implicated in the earlier killing of Jimmy Earl Berry, a 20-year-old college student and restaurant employee in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Berry was working as an assistant manager at a McDonald's restaurant when he was shot during a robbery on January 12, 1974. The gunman escaped with money taken from the business. The murder remained unsolved for several years. Verna Stafford later claimed that Roger and Harold Stafford were responsible. Roger Stafford was not prosecuted for Berry's death because Oklahoma authorities had already secured multiple murder convictions and death sentences against him. The Alabama allegation therefore remained separate from the nine murders legally established against Stafford in Oklahoma. ...

Confirmed Victims: (9)

Melvin Lorenz Age: (38), Date of Death: 1978-06-22

Suspected Victims:

Jimmy Earl Berry Age: (20), Date of Death: 1974-01-12

Roger Dale Stafford - Wikipedia