James Antonio Barnes: The Memphis Serial Killer
Early Life
James Antonio Barnes was born on April 27, 1944, in Detroit, Michigan. His upbringing was marred by severe mistreatment from his alcoholic parents. Barnes recounted that his mother attempted to miscarry by ingesting drugs and, on another occasion, he was punished by being placed in a sack and lowered into a well. These traumatic experiences led to early signs of mental illness, resulting in treatments for depression, hallucinations, and drug abuse across various institutions in Michigan, Tennessee, and Missouri. Despite securing employment as a factory worker at a General Motors plant, he was laid off due to declining company sales. Subsequently, Barnes relocated to Memphis, Tennessee, settling in the Knightwoods neighborhood of Parkway Village.
The Murders
Between August and November 1988, Barnes targeted five individuals, including three women and two male transvestites, predominantly prostitutes from the Fourth and Vance Avenue area in Memphis. His modus operandi involved picking up victims in his gray Hyundai, driving them to secluded locations, and shooting them multiple times with a .32 caliber automatic pistol.
- August 15, 1988: The body of 25-year-old Sharon Denise Moore was discovered on Weakley Street. She had been fatally shot.
- October 5, 1988: Barnes murdered 28-year-old Loria Ann Deberry at the intersection of Carolina and Hernando.
- October 25, 1988: 23-year-old Tony Lee Thompson was shot at 421 South Parkway West but survived the attack.
- October 31, 1988: The bullet-riddled body of 37-year-old Joyce M. Thomas was found in a field north of 295 West Peebles.
- November 5, 1988: 30-year-old Eric Lewis was shot behind 674 South Main but survived his injuries.
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