James Phillip Barnes

Serial Killer

James Phillip Barnes – Convicted Double Murderer and Self-Professed Serial Killer

James Phillip Barnes was a Florida murderer who was convicted of killing two women in separate crimes nearly a decade apart and later claimed responsibility for additional unsolved killings. Barnes, born March 7, 1962, spent much of his adult life moving through the criminal justice system for offenses including burglary, theft, forgery, trafficking in stolen property, and weapons violations. His most serious crimes were the murders of Patricia "Patsy" Miller in 1988 and his estranged wife, Linda Barnes, in 1997. Barnes eventually described himself as responsible for more killings than the two for which he was convicted. While imprisoned on Florida's death row, he claimed that he had also killed missing teenager Chester Ralph Wetmore and Brenda Joyce Fletcher. Those claims were investigated, but authorities said they could not corroborate them. Barnes was never charged with either case, and investigators later publicly stated that they did not consider his claims credible. For that reason, Barnes is most accurately described as a convicted double murderer and self-professed serial killer rather than attributing the additional cases to him as established fact.

Confirmed Victims

• Patricia "Patsy" Miller, 41 – Died April 20, 1988, in her condominium in Melbourne, Brevard County, Florida. Miller was a nurse. Barnes entered her residence, sexually assaulted her, attempted to strangle her, and struck her repeatedly in the head with a hammer. He then set fire to the bed in an effort to destroy evidence. Miller had already died from severe head injuries before the fire was started. Barnes pleaded guilty to her murder and related offenses and was sentenced to death.
• Linda V. Barnes, 44 – Died December 11, 1997, at her residence in the West Melbourne area of Brevard County, Florida. Linda was Barnes's estranged wife. Barnes manually strangled her and placed her body in a closet. He subsequently admitted the killing and pleaded guilty to first-degree murder. He was sentenced to life imprisonment on January 9, 1998.

The Murder of Patricia "Patsy" Miller

On April 20, 1988, 41-year-old Patricia "Patsy" Miller was killed inside her condominium in Melbourne, Florida. Miller worked as a nurse and was inside the supposed safety of her own home when Barnes entered through a bedroom window. Court records established that Barnes confronted Miller with a knife and kept control of her while committing a prolonged assault. Barnes sexually assaulted Miller and attempted to strangle her. He ultimately used a hammer to strike her in the head multiple times. Medical evidence determined that Miller died from severe cranial and cerebral injuries caused by the blows. Barnes then set fire to the bedding and Miller's body, apparently attempting to conceal the murder and destroy physical evidence before leaving the condominium. The attempt to eliminate the evidence was unsuccessful. Investigators recovered biological evidence from Miller's body. Barnes became a suspect within approximately a week of the murder and was interviewed by Melbourne police. He denied killing Miller and denied having been inside her residence. He voluntarily provided a blood sample, but the DNA technology available to investigators in 1988 was not sufficiently advanced to conclusively connect the recovered evidence to him. ...

Confirmed Victims: (2)

Patricia Patsy Miller Age: (41), Date of Death: 1988-04-12

Suspected Victims:

Chester Ralph Wetmore Age: (14), Date of Death: 1986-05-26

Brenda Joyce Fletcher Age: (50), Date of Death: 1990-10-22

James Barnes (murderer) - Wikipedia