Episode 521: Velma Barfield

<p>On November 2, 1984, fifty-two-year-old Velma Barfield was executed by lethal injection at North Carolina’s Central Prison, bringing an end to years of legal appeals and emotional debates over the death penalty and how, when, and to whom it gets applied. For six years, Barfield had sat on death row following her conviction for the poisoning murder of her boyfriend Stewart Taylor in 1976; however, during her trial she confessed to killing at least four other people.</p><p>Velma Barfield’s trial came at a time in the United States when Americans were just beginning to grapple with the concept of a serial killer, and the idea that a woman could commit such heinous acts seemed entirely inconceivable. Although woman had been sentenced to death for murder before in the US, none had confessed to methodically killing multiple people in such a callous way and for such a trivial reason. The debate only became more complicated following her death sentence, an already complicated subject among Americans that became exponentially so in 1984, when Barfield’s case and personal story became a major talking point for politicians running for office around the state.</p><p>Thank you to the Incredible Dave White of Bring Me the Axe Podcast for Research!</p><p>References</p><p>Associated Press. 1984. "Hunt hopes Barfield's death will be deterrent." <em>Asheville Citizen-Times</em>, November 3: 1.</p><p>—. 1978. "Woman charged in poisoning ." <em>Charlotte Obvserver</em>, March 15: 1.</p><p>Barfield, Velma. 1985. <em>Woman on Death Row.</em> Nashville, TN: Oliver-Nelson .</p><p>Bledsoe, Jerry. 1998. <em>Death Sentence: The True Story of Velma Barfield's Life, Crimes, and Punishment.</em> Dutton: Boston, MA.</p><p>Carroll, Ginny. 1978. "Confessed poisoner awaits death." <em>News and Observer</em>, December 10: 1.</p><p>Charlotte Observer. 1984. "New Evidence: Velma Barfield's Sickness." <em>Charlotte Observer</em>, October 31: 12.</p><p>Journal Wire. 1984. "200 gather at funeral of Velma Barfield." <em>Winston-Salem Journal