James Dyral Briley: The Richmond Killing Spree
Background
James Dyral Briley Jr., commonly known as "J.B.," was born on June 6, 1956, in Richmond, Virginia. He became one of the central figures in the group commonly known as the Briley Brothers, which included his older brother Linwood Earl Briley and younger brother Anthony Ray Briley. The brothers were frequently accompanied by teenage associate Duncan Eric Meekins. During 1979, members of the group committed a succession of robberies, assaults, sexual assaults, home invasions and murders in Richmond and neighboring Henrico County.
James Briley is frequently classified as a serial or spree killer because of his participation in the Briley gang's 1979 series of killings. It is important, however, to distinguish between murders associated with the entire group and murders for which James was personally convicted as the killer. Virginia courts conclusively established that James personally shot and killed Judy Diane Barton and her five-year-old son, Harvey Wayne Barton, on October 19, 1979. He was also convicted of first-degree murder for his participation in the killing of Harvey W. Wilkerson, who was shot by Duncan Meekins during the same attack.
The Briley Gang and the 1979 Crime Spree
The violence associated with the Briley group developed into one of the most notorious crime sprees in Richmond history. The victims were not connected by occupation, age or social background. Some were apparently selected during robberies, while others encountered members of the group under circumstances that escalated into murder. Prosecutors ultimately connected the Briley brothers and Meekins to a series of killings extending from March through October 1979.
An early indication of the group's methods came on March 12, 1979, during an attack on William and Virginia Bucher in Henrico County. The couple were tied up while their home was robbed and then set on fire. William Bucher managed to free himself and Virginia, allowing both to escape. Although the Buchers survived and therefore are not included among the murder victims, the attack demonstrated the willingness of members of the group to leave victims in circumstances that could easily have resulted in their deaths.
The Murders Escalate
On March 21, 1979, Michael W. McDuffie, a vending-machine serviceman, was killed in the Richmond-area suburbs during an apparent robbery. McDuffie's death became one of the murders prosecutors associated with the Briley group. The following month, on April 9, Mary W. Gowen was attacked after returning from babysitting in Richmond's North Side area. She was robbed, sexually assaulted and fatally shot.
On July 4, 1979, seventeen-year-old Christopher M. Phillips encountered members of the group near Linwood Briley's automobile. Prosecutors said Linwood believed the teenager had been attempting to break into the vehicle. Phillips was taken into a nearby yard and killed. Accounts of the case identify Linwood Briley as the person who delivered the fatal blow. The killing nevertheless became part of the broader series of crimes attributed to the Briley gang.
The Killing of John "Johnny G." Gallaher
On September 14, 1979, the group's violence claimed John Harvey "Johnny G." Gallaher, a Richmond-area disc jockey and musician. Gallaher was outside the Log Cabin nightclub in South Richmond when he was abducted. He was forced into his own automobile and taken to the Mayo Island area of the James River.
Gallaher was robbed and shot to death. His body was discarded near the river and discovered two days later. Linwood Briley was ultimately convicted of Gallaher's murder and sentenced to death for the crime. James was associated with the group responsible for the episode, but the capital conviction for personally killing Gallaher belonged to Linwood.
Mary Wilfong, Blanche Page and Charles Garner
On September 30, 1979, private nurse Mary Wilfong was attacked near her residence in Henrico County, close to the Willow Lawn area. She was beaten to death during a robbery, after which her apartment was entered and searched for valuables. Linwood Briley was subsequently convicted in connection with her murder.
Less than a week later, Blanche Page and her boarder, Charles Garner, were murdered in a North Side Richmond residence located only a short distance from the Briley home. The two were subjected to an exceptionally violent attack and their residence was ransacked. Page was beaten to death. Garner was beaten and repeatedly stabbed with several objects, and an attempt was made to burn part of his body. Later Richmond chronologies place the killings on October 6, 1979, although some older summaries reported the date as October 5.
The Killing of Thomas Saunders
On October 14, 1979, Thomas Saunders was killed during another episode involving members of the Briley group in Richmond. Accounts of the case place Linwood and James Briley together with Duncan Meekins during the confrontation. A dispute developed, and Meekins shot Saunders. The Saunders case demonstrates why the individual roles in the Briley murders must be carefully distinguished: James was present and associated with the group, but Meekins was identified as the gunman.
The Barton Avenue Murders
The crimes that firmly established James Briley as a convicted multiple murderer occurred on the evening of October 19, 1979, at 2301 Barton Avenue in Richmond. Harvey W. Wilkerson lived there with Judy Diane Barton and her five-year-old son, Harvey Wayne Barton. According to the evidence accepted by the Virginia Supreme Court, James, Linwood, Anthony and Duncan Meekins gathered at the Briley residence that evening and planned to rob Wilkerson.
The four men armed themselves before traveling to the Barton Avenue residence. James and Linwood entered first. By the time Anthony and Meekins came inside, Wilkerson and Barton had been restrained and gagged. The residence was searched for money and valuables while Barton was subjected to repeated sexual assaults.
The robbery then became a triple homicide. Court testimony established that James was armed with a .22-caliber pistol. Meekins testified that he heard a gunshot and turned to see James standing over Judy Barton. James then instructed Meekins that he had to kill one of the victims. Meekins shot Harvey Wilkerson in the head. James subsequently shot five-year-old Harvey Wayne Barton. Medical evidence established that Judy Barton had been shot four times, while Wilkerson and the child had each been shot once. All three died from their gunshot wounds.
The bodies were discovered two days later. The brutality of the Barton Avenue murders, combined with testimony from Meekins and observations made by police officers who had members of the group under surveillance, became the foundation of the prosecution against James Briley.
Victims Associated With James Briley and the Briley Gang
- Michael W. McDuffie — March 21, 1979 — Henrico County/Richmond area, Virginia: A vending-machine serviceman who was shot and killed during an apparent robbery. His murder was among the killings prosecutors associated with the Briley gang.
- Mary W. Gowen — April 9, 1979 — Richmond, Virginia: Attacked after returning from babysitting in the North Side area. She was robbed, sexually assaulted and fatally shot.
- Christopher M. Phillips — July 4, 1979 — Richmond, Virginia: A seventeen-year-old killed after Linwood Briley believed he had been attempting to break into or interfere with his automobile. Linwood was identified as the actual killer.
- John Harvey "Johnny G." Gallaher — September 14, 1979 — South Richmond/Mayo Island, Virginia: A disc jockey and musician abducted outside the Log Cabin nightclub, robbed and taken to the James River area, where he was shot to death. Linwood Briley was convicted as Gallaher's killer.
- Mary Wilfong — September 30, 1979 — Henrico County, Virginia: A private nurse attacked near her apartment in the Willow Lawn area. She was beaten to death and her residence was robbed.
- Blanche Page — October 6, 1979 — Richmond, Virginia: Murdered inside her North Side residence during a robbery. Page was beaten to death. Some older accounts list October 5 as the date, while later Richmond chronologies place the killing on October 6.
- Charles Garner — October 6, 1979 — Richmond, Virginia: Page's boarder, murdered in the same residence. Garner was beaten and stabbed repeatedly. Some older accounts list October 5 as the date of the double homicide.
- Thomas Saunders — October 14, 1979 — Richmond, Virginia: Killed during a confrontation involving James Briley, Linwood Briley and Duncan Meekins. Meekins was identified as the person who shot Saunders.
- Harvey W. Wilkerson — October 19, 1979 — 2301 Barton Avenue, Richmond, Virginia: Bound and robbed inside his home before Duncan Meekins shot him in the head. James Briley was convicted of first-degree murder for his participation in Wilkerson's killing.
- Judy Diane Barton — October 19, 1979 — 2301 Barton Avenue, Richmond, Virginia: Restrained, sexually assaulted and murdered during the robbery of the residence. James Briley personally shot Barton and was convicted of capital murder in her death.
- Harvey Wayne Barton — October 19, 1979 — 2301 Barton Avenue, Richmond, Virginia: Judy Barton's five-year-old son. James Briley personally shot and killed the child and was convicted of capital murder.
Charges, Convictions and Death Sentences
James Dyral Briley was tried in Richmond in January 1980. A jury convicted him of the capital murder of Harvey Wayne Barton during an armed robbery and the capital murder of Judy Diane Barton during the commission of or following rape. He was additionally convicted of the first-degree murder of Harvey Wilkerson, robbery, rape and multiple firearm offenses.
The prosecution's most important witness was Duncan Eric Meekins. After his arrest, Meekins admitted his own participation and entered into an agreement with prosecutors. His testimony described the planning of the Barton Avenue robbery, the conduct of the four participants inside the residence and the sequence of the killings. Police surveillance and physical evidence corroborated portions of his account.
Under Virginia law at the time, a capital murder conviction generally required proof that the defendant was the immediate killer. The evidence that James personally shot Judy Barton and Harvey Wayne Barton therefore became especially important. The jury imposed a death sentence for each capital murder, and the Virginia Supreme Court affirmed both convictions and sentences on November 26, 1980.
The Mecklenburg Death-Row Escape
James and Linwood Briley later became involved in one of the most famous prison escapes in Virginia history. On May 31, 1984, they joined four other condemned prisoners in escaping from the death-row unit at Mecklenburg Correctional Center. The inmates overpowered prison employees and manipulated security procedures sufficiently to escape the institution.
The breakout triggered a major manhunt along the East Coast. James and Linwood remained fugitives after several of the other escapees were captured. Authorities eventually tracked the brothers to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where they were recaptured in June 1984 and returned to Virginia.
Execution
James Briley continued pursuing appeals after his convictions, but his death sentences remained in effect. Linwood Briley was executed in Virginia on October 12, 1984. James followed several months later.
James Dyral Briley was executed by electrocution at the Virginia State Penitentiary in Richmond on April 18, 1985. He was twenty-eight years old. His execution brought to an end the life of one of the principal participants in a crime spree that had terrified Richmond and the surrounding area during 1979.
Distinguishing James Briley's Crimes From the Full Gang Record
The Briley case is sometimes described as though every murder attributed to the gang was personally committed by all three brothers. The historical and court records show a more complicated picture. Different members of the group acted as planners, robbers, accomplices and killers in different crimes. Linwood Briley was specifically identified as the killer in several cases, and Duncan Meekins admitted shooting both Thomas Saunders and Harvey Wilkerson.
James Briley's own murder convictions are nevertheless unequivocal. The courts found that he personally killed Judy Diane Barton and Harvey Wayne Barton and participated fully in the robbery and series of crimes that resulted in Harvey Wilkerson's death. Those October 19, 1979 murders resulted in his two capital convictions and ultimately his execution.
Some modern accounts also include Edric Alvin Clark, killed on March 31, 1979, in lists of Briley-related victims. Those accounts identify Linwood Briley as Clark's killer during a separate dispute, and James's participation has not been established with the same clarity. For that reason, Clark is not included above as a victim specifically associated with James Briley's documented murder cases.
