Velma Barfield: The Arsenic Poisonings and the Crimes of the "Death Row Granny"
Early Life and the Beginning of a Troubled Pattern
Margie Velma Barfield, born Margie Velma Bullard, became one of the most notorious female serial killers in American history. Her crimes were concentrated in North Carolina and involved people who were unusually close to her: husbands, her mother, elderly people who depended upon her for care, and finally her boyfriend. Rather than attacking strangers, Barfield operated inside homes where she was trusted, using poison to produce illnesses that initially resembled natural medical emergencies.
Barfield married Thomas Burke while she was still a teenager, and the couple had two children. As the marriage progressed, both reportedly developed serious personal problems. Burke drank heavily, while Barfield became increasingly dependent on prescription medication. Her dependence on pills would later become entangled with repeated episodes of theft, forged checks, bad checks, and attempts to obtain money without the knowledge of relatives and employers.
The first death later associated with Barfield occurred in 1969. Thomas Burke died from smoke inhalation during a fire at the family's home while Barfield was away. The death was not established as a homicide, and no court ever found that Barfield killed him. Nevertheless, the circumstances attracted renewed suspicion after her later poisonings became known. Burke's death therefore belongs in the category of suspected or historically linked deaths rather than one of the murders Barfield admitted committing.
The Death of Jennings Barfield
After Thomas Burke's death, Velma married widower Jennings L. Barfield in 1970. Their marriage was short. On the night of March 21, 1971, Jennings became seriously ill and was taken to a hospital. He was suffering from nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration and severe physical distress. He was initially treated and released but returned during the early morning hours of March 22 as his condition deteriorated.
Jennings Barfield died on March 22, 1971. At the time, his death did not result in a murder prosecution. Years later, after Velma Barfield came under investigation for arsenic poisoning, Jennings's body was exhumed on May 31, 1978. Toxicological testing found arsenic in his tissues, and medical testimony presented at Velma's murder trial concluded that arsenic poisoning caused his death. Barfield continued to deny killing Jennings, however, and she was never separately tried or convicted for his death.
The Murder of Her Mother, Lillie McMillan Bullard
By 1974, Barfield was living with her mother, Lillie McMillan Bullard, in Parkton, North Carolina. Financial trouble had become an increasingly important part of Barfield's life. According to evidence later presented in court, she forged her mother's signature on a loan document for more than $1,000. Barfield feared that her mother would discover what she had done when questions arose concerning the debt.
Barfield later admitted that she purchased poison bearing a warning that it could be fatal if swallowed. She told investigators that she placed poison in food and a soft drink that she gave her mother and later administered another poisoned drink. Bullard developed severe gastrointestinal symptoms and rapidly became critically ill.
Lillie McMillan Bullard died on December 30, 1974, after being taken to the hospital. Her illness did not immediately expose Barfield as a killer. It was only during the later investigation into Stuart Taylor's death that Barfield admitted poisoning her mother. The circumstances surrounding Bullard's death also helped investigators recognize a pattern: Barfield faced possible exposure for a financial offense, poison was administered, and the victim developed violent gastrointestinal symptoms that could initially be mistaken for disease.
Montgomery and Dollie Edwards
Barfield subsequently obtained work as a live-in helper for elderly Montgomery and Dollie Edwards in Lumberton, North Carolina. Montgomery Edwards was in his nineties and required assistance, while Dollie was also elderly. The position placed Barfield inside the couple's home and gave her the kind of trusted access that would become a recurring feature of her crimes.
Montgomery Edwards died on January 29, 1977. His death is sometimes included in published counts of Barfield's victims, and some later biographical accounts have attributed it to her. The surviving court record, however, does not document an arsenic finding or a murder confession concerning Montgomery comparable to the evidence presented for Dollie Edwards, John Henry Lee, Lillie Bullard, Jennings Barfield and Stuart Taylor. His death therefore remains much less firmly established as one of Barfield's murders.
Dollie Edwards's death is substantially better documented. In late February 1977, Barfield traveled to St. Pauls and purchased a bottle of poison. She later admitted putting the substance into Dollie's coffee and cereal. Dollie soon became sick with nausea and weakness and was taken to the hospital on February 27. She was treated and released, but her condition continued to worsen.
Dollie Edwards returned to the hospital on March 1, 1977. She was dehydrated and suffering from nausea, diarrhea and vomiting. She died later that evening. Barfield admitted that she knew the poison she had administered was responsible for Dollie's death. She said she discarded the poison bottle in a field behind the Edwards residence. Investigators later searched the area and recovered an empty bottle of Singletary's Rat Poison.
Dollie's body was exhumed on March 18, 1978. Toxicological examination detected arsenic in her tissues, and North Carolina's chief medical examiner concluded that she had died from arsenic poisoning. What had originally appeared to be the sudden deterioration of an elderly woman was now recognized as a deliberate poisoning.
The Murder of John Henry Lee
Barfield next worked in the household of John Henry Lee and his wife, Record Lee. Once again she occupied a position that placed her close to vulnerable people and gave her access to their home and finances. Evidence presented during Barfield's trial showed that a $50 check associated with the Lee household had been forged, fitting the pattern of financial misconduct seen in other cases.
John Henry Lee, who had previously been active despite his age, became seriously ill around April 28, 1977. The following day he was hospitalized with vomiting and diarrhea. He was released on May 2, but his illness persisted throughout May. He continued to experience repeated gastrointestinal problems and pain.
On June 3, 1977, Lee was taken back to the hospital in critical condition. His skin had turned a deep bluish color, he was cold and perspiring, his blood pressure was dangerously low, and he had become confused and unresponsive. John Henry Lee died on June 4, 1977.
No autopsy was performed immediately. After Barfield came under investigation the following year, Lee's body was exhumed on March 18, 1978. Testing revealed substantial amounts of arsenic in his liver and muscle tissue. The North Carolina chief medical examiner testified that Lee had died from arsenic poisoning. Barfield admitted her involvement in his poisoning during statements she gave investigators.
The Murder of Stuart Taylor
Rowland Stuart Taylor became the victim whose death finally exposed Barfield. Taylor was a 56-year-old farmer from the St. Pauls area and had become romantically involved with her. Barfield sometimes stayed at his home. As in several earlier cases, financial deception became central to the events preceding the poisoning. Evidence showed that Barfield had forged checks connected to Taylor and feared discovery.
Barfield later admitted purchasing Terro ant killer and giving poison to Taylor. She maintained that she intended to make him sick rather than kill him, an explanation that did not prevent prosecutors from arguing that her conduct amounted to intentional murder.
On January 31, 1978, Barfield and Taylor traveled to Fayetteville for a religious gospel event. During the gathering, Taylor became ill. They returned to St. Pauls, and in the early morning hours he began suffering severe vomiting and diarrhea. His symptoms continued throughout the following day.
Taylor was taken to Southeastern General Hospital in Lumberton, where he complained of nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and pain in his muscles, chest and abdomen. His blood pressure was low, his pulse was weak and rapid, and he was badly dehydrated. Doctors treated him with intravenous fluids and other measures before releasing him.
His condition did not improve. On February 3, 1978, an ambulance was called to Taylor's home. He was in extreme pain, breathing rapidly and showing signs of circulatory collapse. At the hospital his condition became desperate. Medical personnel performed a tracheotomy, but Taylor died in the emergency room approximately an hour after arriving.
Taylor's family was dissatisfied with the uncertainty surrounding the sudden death of a man who had previously been in relatively good health, and an autopsy was performed. Toxicological examination revealed arsenic in his blood and liver. The pathologist concluded that acute arsenic poisoning had killed him.
The Investigation and Confessions
Taylor's death triggered scrutiny of Barfield's past. Police began investigating not only his poisoning but the unusual deaths that seemed to follow her from one household to another. Investigators questioned Barfield in March 1978. On March 13, she gave officers a series of statements concerning Stuart Taylor, John Henry Lee, Dollie Edwards and her mother, Lillie Bullard.
Her statements exposed a pattern that investigators could compare against medical evidence and financial records. Victims had often become sick with remarkably similar symptoms. In several cases Barfield was facing exposure for forged financial documents shortly before the poisoning occurred. She had access to the victims' food or beverages, and arsenic-containing products provided an easily obtainable means of poisoning them.
Authorities then exhumed several bodies. The examinations were particularly important because some of the deaths had initially been attributed to natural illness. Arsenic was detected in the remains of Dollie Edwards, John Henry Lee and Jennings Barfield, strengthening the prosecution's contention that Stuart Taylor's death was not an isolated act.
Victims and Deaths Associated With Velma Barfield
- Thomas Burke — April 4, 1969 — North Carolina: Barfield's first husband died from smoke inhalation during a fire at their home. His death later attracted suspicion because of Barfield's subsequent crimes, but it was never established in court that she caused the fire or murdered him.
- Jennings L. Barfield — March 22, 1971 — Fayetteville, North Carolina: Barfield's second husband became violently ill with nausea, vomiting and diarrhea and died after being hospitalized. His body was exhumed in 1978, arsenic was detected, and medical testimony concluded that arsenic poisoning caused his death. Barfield denied killing him and was never separately convicted of his murder.
- Lillie McMillan Bullard — December 30, 1974 — Parkton/Lumberton area, North Carolina: Barfield's mother was poisoned after Barfield feared that a fraudulent loan obtained using her mother's name would be discovered. Barfield admitted administering poison in food and drinks.
- Montgomery Edwards — January 29, 1977 — Lumberton, North Carolina: The elderly man for whom Barfield worked as a live-in helper died while she was employed in his household. His death has appeared in some broader counts of Barfield's possible victims, but the trial record does not provide the same documented arsenic evidence or clear confession associated with several of the other deaths.
- Dollie Taylor Edwards — March 1, 1977 — Lumberton, North Carolina: Barfield admitted putting poison into Edwards's coffee and cereal. Edwards suffered nausea, diarrhea, vomiting and dehydration before dying. After exhumation, arsenic was detected in her tissues and her death was determined to have resulted from arsenic poisoning.
- John Henry Lee — June 4, 1977 — Lumberton area, North Carolina: Lee became progressively ill while Barfield was working in his household. After his body was exhumed, testing revealed arsenic in his tissues. The chief medical examiner concluded that arsenic caused his death, and Barfield admitted involvement in his poisoning.
- Rowland Stuart Taylor — February 3, 1978 — Lumberton, North Carolina: Barfield's boyfriend developed severe gastrointestinal illness after she administered arsenic-containing poison. He died after being rushed to the hospital, and an autopsy demonstrated acute arsenic poisoning. His was the murder for which Barfield was tried, convicted and sentenced to death.
Trial and Conviction
A Robeson County grand jury indicted Barfield on March 28, 1978, for the first-degree murder of Stuart Taylor. Because of the extensive attention surrounding the case, the proceedings involved concerns about obtaining an impartial jury. Her capital murder trial began during a special criminal session in November 1978.
The prosecution did not restrict its presentation to Taylor's death. Evidence involving Lillie Bullard, Dollie Edwards, John Henry Lee and Jennings Barfield was introduced to demonstrate the extraordinary similarities among the poisonings. The North Carolina Supreme Court later ruled that the evidence was properly admitted because it helped demonstrate a common plan, Barfield's familiarity with poison and the recurring relationship between financial wrongdoing and the deaths.
Barfield acknowledged administering poison to Taylor but argued that she had intended only to make him ill. The jury rejected the defense and found her guilty of first-degree murder. During the penalty phase, jurors found aggravating circumstances, including that Taylor's murder had been committed for pecuniary gain and to hinder enforcement of the law. The jury recommended death, and on December 2, 1978, Barfield was formally sentenced to die.
How Many People Did Velma Barfield Kill?
The number attributed to Barfield varies because not every suspicious death resulted in a confession, prosecution or equally strong forensic evidence. The most carefully documented legal record establishes that she was convicted of murdering Stuart Taylor and that she gave statements admitting involvement in the poisoning deaths of Lillie Bullard, Dollie Edwards and John Henry Lee. Evidence presented at trial also strongly implicated her in the arsenic poisoning of Jennings Barfield, although she denied killing him.
Thomas Burke's 1969 fire death has long been treated as suspicious in accounts of Barfield's life but was never proved to be murder. Montgomery Edwards is also included in some published victim totals, although the surviving trial record is considerably less conclusive concerning his death than it is for the arsenic victims. For that reason, descriptions placing Barfield's total at six or seven victims should be understood as including suspected or disputed deaths rather than seven separate murder convictions.
A Killer Hidden Behind a Caregiver's Role
One of the most disturbing characteristics of Barfield's crimes was the way she repeatedly exploited relationships of trust. She was not an anonymous predator hunting strangers. Her victims were people who slept under the same roof, shared meals with her, trusted her with their personal affairs, or depended on her for daily assistance. The symptoms produced by arsenic could resemble serious gastrointestinal disease, particularly before physicians knew there was reason to suspect deliberate poisoning.
The financial element was also significant. Forged signatures, bad checks and unauthorized transactions repeatedly appeared around Barfield's life. In several documented cases, prosecutors argued that poisoning allowed her to prevent a victim from exposing financial misconduct. Her dependence on prescription medication was extensively discussed during her trial and appeals, but the courts did not accept it as removing her criminal responsibility.
Death Row and Execution
Barfield spent nearly six years under a death sentence while her attorneys pursued state and federal appeals. During her imprisonment she underwent a highly publicized religious conversion and became deeply involved in Christian ministry. Supporters appealed for clemency and argued that the person she had become on death row was different from the woman who had committed the crimes. North Carolina authorities nevertheless allowed the sentence to proceed.
Velma Barfield was executed by lethal injection at Central Prison in Raleigh, North Carolina, on November 2, 1984. She was 52 years old. Her execution was historically significant: she became the first woman executed in the United States since 1962, the first woman executed after the modern resumption of capital punishment, and the first woman in the United States executed by lethal injection.
Legacy of the Barfield Case
The Velma Barfield case remains unusual because the investigation transformed a series of apparently unrelated illnesses and natural deaths into evidence of repeated poisoning. Deaths separated by years were reconsidered only after Stuart Taylor's autopsy revealed arsenic and investigators began looking backward through Barfield's history.
Her case illustrates how a poisoner can exploit ordinary expectations surrounding illness, age and caregiving. Several victims suffered for days or weeks before dying, while those around them initially had little reason to imagine that the person helping to care for them could be responsible for their worsening condition. It was the combination of Taylor's autopsy, Barfield's financial misconduct, her admissions and the exhumation of earlier victims that finally revealed the larger pattern.
Although Barfield was legally convicted of only one murder, the evidence developed during the investigation tied her to multiple arsenic deaths and established her as one of the most infamous poisoners in American criminal history. The distinction between her proven, confessed and suspected victims remains important: Stuart Taylor was the murder conviction that sent her to death row; Bullard, Edwards and Lee were poisonings she admitted; Jennings Barfield was supported by arsenic evidence that she denied; and the deaths of Thomas Burke and Montgomery Edwards remain less definitively established.
