Velma Barfield

Serial Killer

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. ...

Confirmed Victims: (6)

Jennings Layfate Barfield Age: (54), Date of Death: 1971-03-22

Suspected Victims:

William Thomas Burke Age: (37), Date of Death: 1969-04-04

Velma Barfield - Wikipedia