Her lawyers immediately appealed, and a series of court hearings followed. Eventually, Anjette’s lawyers successfully won an insanity plea. A Sanity Commission diagnosed her with chronic paranoid schizophrenia. In Georgia, it was against the law to execute an insane person. It was a catch-twenty-two situation because if she recovered her sanity, she would be executed. As she confided to a friend who visited her, “They think I’m crazy as hell, and I’m going to let them keep thinking it because if they don’t, they’re going to fry my ass!”
Anjette was confined to Milledgeville State Hospital for the insane. Here, she spent close to twenty years before dying of natural causes on December 4, 1977, at the age of fifty-two. She was buried next to her daughter Marcia.
MARIE FIKACKOVA
SILENT BABIES
Marie Fikáčková was born to poor German parents on September 9th, 1936 in Sušice, a beautiful, historic city in Czechoslovakia.
In 1945 when World War II ended, many Germans living in Czechoslovakia suffered from Czech hostilities towards them. Marie’s family was one of them. Her father was a violent alcoholic who hated the Czechs with a passion. Neither was she close to her mother with whom she often quarreled. Her one brother was mentally handicapped. Despite Marie’s dysfunctional home life, she did well at school. In 1955, she successfully passed the Secondary Medical Service School examinations in Klatovy. She then found work as a nurse at the Sušice National Health Centre. In 1957, Marie was transferred to the Obstetrics department. Marie was liked and respected by her colleagues for being amiable and industrious and within a short amount of time was being considered for promotion to Head Nurse. There was, however, one insurmountable problem for Marie: much as she enjoyed her work in the maternity ward, she had an almost complete intolerance to the crying of new born babies. Many women take to babies easily, knowing how to hold the baby in a relaxed manner that soothes the fretful newborn. Marie was not such a woman.
On February 23rd, 1960, two newborn baby girls died on the maternity ward of the Sušice National Health Centre. During the autopsies of the babies, it was found that both infants had numerous broken bones in their arms along with head trauma, which had caused their deaths.
The authorities began to interview all of the staff involved in the care and delivery of the babies. On February 28th, 1960, twenty-four-year-old Marie was interviewed. The interview turned into a six hour interrogation as the authorities became uneasy at Marie’s answers to various questions.
During the interview, she claimed that as a child she was tortured by her mentally ill brother and abused by her father. At midnight, after six hours of questioning, Marie finally admitted to killing the baby girls.
She said,
To Marie, it was a solution to child quieting: when using 'pressure point therapy' the baby never cried again. In explanation, she claimed that the crying babies affected her concentration, she hated crying babies, they put her off her work, and she was intent on getting a promotion. She said she would even hit her own child if it cried very often. Luckily, she didn’t have one. She claimed that she only felt this way when she was menstruating. Marie confessed in the interrogation to having murdered ten newborn babies since 1957. The hospital and the authorities kept quiet about Marie’s confessions to the other killings.
At her trial, she was charged with only two murders as there was no evidence to the other killings she had claimed to have committed. At her trial, a number of people testified to her explosive personality. Neighbor’s testified that she terrorized her mentally handicapped brother regularly and that she possessed a violent streak.
On October 6th, 1960, Marie Fikáčková was sentenced to death by hanging. Her lawyer appealed the sentence twice but on each occasion, the appeals were denied.
The execution took place early in the morning of April 13th, 1961 in Pankrác prison.
Marie Fikáčková’s trial and execution were kept secret in communist-occupied Czechoslovakia, the government not wishing its citizens or foreigners to know that under their regime such crimes occurred.
Following the collapse of the communist government in 1996, many secret files were uncovered, one of which was Marie Fikáčková’s. TV Nova, the Czech commercial television station, broadcast the story on January 4th, 2007.
JANIE LOU GIBBS
THERE’S NOTHING LIKE MUM’S COOKING.
Janie Lou Gibbs was born on December 25, 1932, in Cordele, Georgia, known as the Watermelon Capital of the World. In 1948, at the age of sixteen, Janie married Marvin Gibbs, a farmer. She appeared in all intents and purposes to be the perfect wife, mother, and avid Christian Fundamentalist church attendee. Janie also ran the local day-care center and was popular with the mothers and children. In 1965, Marvin at the age of 38 and her husband of eighteen years, was taken ill after eating a lovingly prepared family meal. He collapsed at home and was rushed to the hospital emergency department where he was pronounced dead upon arrival. The doctors attributed the cause of death to a previously undiagnosed liver disease.
Marvin’s sudden death caused shock among the local church goers, and there was considerable support and sympathy for the young widow and her three children. Janie was so appreciative of the support she received from the church members that she bequeathed 10% of the insurance money from Marvin’s death to the church.
Tragedy struck again a year later when Janie’s thirteen-year-old son Marvin, Jr., appeared to have inherited the same liver disease that had afflicted his father. He, too, collapsed suffering from severe cramps shortly after having eaten one of his mother’s home cooked meals and died. Yet again, the church community was a tower of strength for Janie in this family tragedy, and Janie thankful to the church for their support, once again gave 10% of the insurance money to the church congregation.
However, just a few months later, Janie’s sixteen-year-old son Lester became ill, suffering from headaches and dizzy spells. He was discovered dead at home in January of 1967. The doctors at the hospital attributed his death to hepatitis. Once again, the church, in disbelief at the number of tragedies befalling the young widow, rallied around in support. Janie appeared broken hearted and crushed by all that she had endured over the past two years. She told the church congregation that without their support, she could never have coped and once again gave a percentage of the insurance payout to the church.
One piece of happy news for Janie in 1967 was that her son Roger’s young wife was pregnant. In August, the church was delighted to see Janie smiling again as she held her young grandson Raymond in her arms. But before the end of October, both her grandson Raymond and his father Roger, her son, were dead.
The doctors were mystified by the baby’s death. He had been a healthy strong child. An autopsy failed to find anything wrong. In Roger’s case, it seemed as if his kidneys had just stopped functioning. The doctors were suspicious and called the law enforcement agency. Another autopsy was performed on Roger, and arsenic poisoning was detected. The police then disinterred the other dead members of the Gibbs family and similar results were found.
Janie Lou Gibbs was arrested on Christmas Eve of 1967. In court, she admitted poisoning her family with rat poison. Her lawyers pleaded insanity. In February of 1968, she was declared clinically insane and sent to the state mental hospital. In May of 1974, she was declared well enough to stand trial. In May of 1976, Janie was convicted of murdering her family with poison. The judge gave her life for each member of her family. In 1999, Janie, at the age of sixty-six, was released from prison on parole into the custody of her brother on medical grounds. She was suffering from advanced Parkinson's disease. Janie Lou Gibbs died on February 7, 2010, at the age of seventy- eight.
VELMA BARFIELD
GATEWAY TO HEAVEN
Early Life
Velma Barfield (née Bullard) was born on October 29th, 1932 in rural South Carolina. Velma was the second born of nine children and the eldest daughter born to Presbyterians Murphy and Lillie Bullard. Murphy Bullard was an impoveris
hed, small, tobacco and cotton farmer. The house that Velma was born into was a small, wooden, unpainted house with no running water or electricity. As the Great Depression tightened its grip around the country, Murphy Bullard found it harder and harder to make a living from the farm as crop prices fell by about 60%. He gave up the farm and took a job in a saw-mill. When the saw-mill laid Murphy off, he moved his family into his parents’ home in Fayetteville, North Carolina and found work in a textile mill.
Murphy Bullard, Velma’s father, was an authoritarian. He was the undisputed ruler of his family, and Velma’s mother was the compliant, docile wife. Murphy was a big drinking man, was easily angered, and didn’t hold back from taking the strap to the children if they annoyed him or disobeyed him. Lila, Velma’s mother, never argued or tried to stop Murphy from hitting the children, fearful that he would turn on her.
In 1939, when Velma was seven years old, she began attending the local elementary school with her older brother Olive. Her teachers found her smart, and she received excellent grades. Velma at first loved school as it was an escape from her crowded, volatile home life, but that soon wore off as she was picked upon by her class mates for always being dressed in hand-me-downs. They also made fun of the contents of her lunch-box, which consisted of cornbread and a slice of ham. This affected Velma so much that she would hide from the other children while she ate her lunch.
Velma hated the poverty she and her family lived in and began stealing change from her father’s pockets to enable her to buy candies from the store opposite the school like the other kids. Then, from an elderly neighbor, she stole $80. This enraged her father so much, he took the strap to her and beat her black and blue. She was never known to steal as a child again.
With nine children to support, life in the Bullard family was tough. With so many children, Velma’s mother was often ill and as Velma grew older her mother demanded more and more help of Velma with the house and with the smaller children.
Although Murphy Bullard was tyrannical, he also loved his children and in particular Velma, much to Olive’s, her brother, jealousy. Although money was short, Murphy Bullard would take them out on excursions and teach them to swim and fish in the nearby rivers. He also taught them all to play baseball and would organize games for his children and their friends.
Twice each summer, Velma would be sent to a Presbyterian Bible School.
When Velma was thirteen, the family moved to Robeson County, and Velma enrolled at Parkton Public School. Although no longer achieving the high grades she had enjoyed when younger, Velma did excel at basketball and was chosen to play on the school team. When her mother gave birth to twins, she made Velma quit the team as she needed Velma’s help at home. Velma deeply resented this but did as she was told.
When she was fifteen, Velma began seeing a boy from school, Thomas Burke, who was a year older than she. He was a tall, thin, dark haired boy, and they got along together well. Murphy Bullard forbade them to see each other out of school until she was sixteen, so the young couple had to limit their time together to the playground.
When they did begin to date, it was under strict guidelines set down by her father.
First Marriage
Thomas proposed to hazel-eyed Velma when she was seventeen, and she accepted. Her father was furious but despite her father’s rage, she stood up to him and married Thomas in 1949. They both left high school, and Thomas took work anywhere he could: in a cotton mill, as a farm laborer, and as a delivery truck driver.
Velma gave birth to her first-born son, Ronald Thomas, on December 15th, 1951. She delighted in being a mother and was probably for the first time in her life genuinely happy. On September 3rd, 1953, Velma had her second child, a daughter they named Kim. Thomas and Velma, although poor with only the basics in life, were content. When the children began school, Velma returned to work at a textile plant to bolster the family income. Velma had the night shift. Apart from working, she was also extremely active in the children’s school life. She took an active part in all school activities, was always one of the first to volunteer for chaperoning on school trips, and was an active member of the PTA. She was one of the most popular moms at the school with the children and teachers seeing her as being fun and a terrific sport. Velma was also committed to teaching Ronald and Kim Christian values and regularly escorted them to a Baptist church.
In 1963, Velma’s life changed. She started to have medical problems and underwent a hysterectomy. The operation was successful physically. For many women having a hysterectomy is emotionally difficult, especially when the hysterectomy is carried out during the childbearing years as Velma’s was. Her hormones changed which led to mood swings, hot flashes, temper tantrums, nervousness, and night sweats.
Velma worried that she was less feminine since she could no longer have children even though she and Thomas had not wanted more than two children. She did not want to be a replica of her worn out mother. Following the operation, she was also in a lot of pain especially in the lower back. One of the most common complaints after a hysterectomy is pain. The majority of women following the surgery are given prescription-strength painkillers to help lessen the discomfort and in a short period of time they can then take over-the-counter pain relievers, if needed. Velma found that the over-the-counter painkillers were not strong enough.
With the change in his wife, Thomas began to spend more time out of the house. He joined the United States Junior Chamber more commonly known as the Jaycees. The Jaycees is a private organization that was established in the 1920s to provide opportunities for young men to develop personal and leadership skills through service to others.
Velma resented these meetings as she was left alone in the evenings with the children, and when Thomas began going for drinks with the other men after the meetings finished Velma was furious. Velma was a teetotaler and saw alcohol as the devil’s drink.
When he returned home, noisy arguments would occur and tensions in the house were taut. When Thomas had a car accident in 1965 and suffered a concussion, Velma was convinced it was due to driving after drinking. Thomas vehemently denied the accusation and said he had fallen asleep at the wheel because of tiredness. Unfortunately, as a result of the concussion, he suffered from severe headaches from then on. This caused Thomas to drink more to ease the pain. The tension in the house increased leading to Velma being hospitalized from stress. In the hospital, she was treated with valium. With her already suffering from addiction to painkillers, she also became addicted to valium.
When Velma returned home, she signed up with a few different doctors to collect her prescription drugs. None of the doctors were aware she was seeing other doctors, and so Velma began taking a variety of medications that were not meant to be mixed with each other.
In 1967, Thomas was arrested for drunk driving which led to him losing his driver’s license and, therefore, his job as a delivery driver for Pepsi-Cola. Velma was livid, and Thomas was devastated. He felt ashamed and depressed which had the effect of making him drink more. The children, Ronnie and Kim, no longer felt comfortable inviting their friends to the house because of their father’s drinking and their parents’ arguments. Thomas eventually secured another job at a nearby mill and would get a lift to work with a neighbor.
Not only were the children worried about their father’s drinking but they, as well as Thomas, were concerned about Velma’s pill taking. Sometimes, she would be exceedingly groggy, and her words were slurred as if she was drunk.
In April of 1969, while Velma and the children were out and Thomas was comatose in a chair, the house caught fire. The fire brigade arrived and took Thomas to hospital where he died of smoke inhalation. On learning of her husband’s death, Velma collapsed. Just a few months later, the house burned down again and was destroyed. This time, the house was insured, and Velma and the children moved in with her parents, Murphy and Lillie, while they waited for the insurance check.
Just a few months later, Velma sat intensely proud at her son,
Ronnie’s, graduation ceremony. He, having achieved the honor of being the salutatorian, delivered the opening speech of the ceremony. A salutatorian is an American honor given to a graduating student with the second highest academic rank. For his speech, Ronnie gave public praise to his mother and credited Velma for any exceptional qualities he possessed.
Second Marriage
Not too many months after Thomas died; Velma met a widower Jennings Barfield. Jennings had lost his wife around the time that Thomas had died and so when they met they were both feeling fairly lonely. Jennings had taken early retirement due to his health. He suffered from emphysema, diabetes, as well as heart disease. Velma and Jennings married in a church on August 23rd, 1970.
The marriage soon ran into difficulties when Jennings discovered his new wife’s addiction to prescription drugs. Shortly after the wedding, Jennings returned home one day to discover Velma in a semi-conscious state. He took her to the hospital where he was told she had overdosed. Following this, Velma promised Jennings she would cut down in her use of pills but within weeks after leaving the hospital it happened again, and Jennings once again had to take Velma to the emergency department.
Jennings realized he had made a colossal mistake in marrying Velma but before he could divorce her, he died on March 22nd, 1971 from what was attributed to heart complications.
Less than a year after her marriage, Velma was a widow again and seemed inconsolable.
Widowhood
Velma continued taking her pills trying to keep the depression she felt at bay. A sympathetic manager at Belks department store gave her a job. Adding to her depression was her son Ronnie’s draft into the US army who had ordered him to report to Fort Jackson in South Carolina. The Vietnam War was in full swing, and the nation’s youth were being sent to fight a war in a country most had never heard of and for reasons they didn’t fully comprehend.
Women Serial Killers of the 20th Century Page 8