Fiendish Killers

by Anne Williams

  Judd Gray was the first to be led down to the death chamber on January 12, 1928, having spent the previous few hours quietly reading the Bible. He went peacefully, happy in the thought that his wife had written him a heart-wrenching letter in which she said she forgave him for what he had done.

  Ruth Snyder was led down just minutes later but, unlike her lover, she broke down in floods of tears. She had to be forced into the chair by a pair of prison matrons and she cried out loud as the executioner flicked the switch, ‘Jesus have mercy on me, for I have sinned.’

  Although cameras were forbidden in the death chamber, the following morning a ghostly picture appeared in the New York Daily News, taken at precisely the moment the current entered Ruth’s body. This had such an enormous impact on Sing Sing Prison that from that day on, any witnesses were searched before being allowed to enter the prison.

  The case received so much publicity that it led to James M. Cain writing a novel called Double Indemnity about the Snyder–Gray case. Billy Wilder took the book and turned it into a film, with Barbara Stanwyck playing the part of the murderous wife.

  PART FOUR: Fiendish Women

  Velma Barfield

  Velma Margie (Bullard) Barfield, the first woman to be executed in the United States since the 1976 reinstatement of the death penalty, was a woman with deep-rooted physiological issues. Although there was some dispute as to her sanity, Velma showed no remorse when tried for her crimes.

  Velma was born on October 29, 1932, in North Carolina in the United States. She was born into a large family, the second eldest of seven siblings and the couple’s eldest daughter. Although Velma achieved high grades scholastically, she was rejected by her peers. Velma claims that her childhood was marked by rape and abuse, but this was of course strongly contested by her relatives. Velma dropped out of high school and by the age of nineteen was a mother of two children by a man named Thomas Burke. Velma married Thomas and, for a while, it looked like her married life was going to be a normal one. In 1963 Velma underwent a hysterectomy which was physically successful but left her mentally scarred for life. In 1966, after Thomas was rendered unable to work from a horrific car accident, Velma was forced to find work in a local shop to support her family. It was not long before Thomas became an alcoholic and Velma’s stress level shot sky high. She, in turn, took to drugs and set a collision course for a nervous breakdown. Velma’s emotional state worsened and she was placed on antidepressants. In 1969, in what later turned out to be very suspicious circumstances, Thomas was killed in a house fire.

  Not long after the death of her husband, Velma started to date Jennings Barfield. Jennings had also lost his spouse around the same time, and it is probable that their union began by mutual comforting during their grieving stage. They were married in August 1970, but Jennings was not a healthy man and suffered from diabetes, emphysema and heart disease, causing him to take early retirement. Jennings was also unhappy with Velma’s unyielding drug addiction and on more than one occasion he had cause to take her to the hospital after she had overdosed. He eventually left her because she seemed unable to free herself from the vice, but they reunited when Velma promised to cut down on her intake of pills. Unable to maintain her promise, Velma struggled with her addiction and it seemed likely that the couple would soon divorce. A divorce, however, proved unnecessary because on March 21, 1971, Jennings died of apparent heart failure. His death was not viewed as suspicious at the time because of his long-term health problems.

  Velma’s emotional state had never been so precarious, but it was about to get worse. Her son decided to enlist in the army to fight in Vietnam. The war that was raging in Vietnam was akin to the one that Velma was fighting with her own psyche. Her condition worsened as her drug addiction increased and she educed strife at work. Her boss assigned her to the stock room so that she didn’t offend customers. As if her problems were not large enough, her son expressed interest in getting married, a notion that Velma bitterly rejected. She said that he would never be interested in having her around anymore, despite his arguments to the contrary. Her mental condition was so poor that she had doctors attempt to stop her son from being sent to Vietnam, but the pleas were unsuccessful and he was ordered into active duty. Her life spun out of control, and to top off all her compounded problems, her home caught fire for a second time.

  Following the sudden death of her mother, Velma became a nervous wreck and she moved in with an elderly couple by the name of Mr and Mrs Edwards. Montgomery Edwards was a sickly man and died shortly after Velma started to cook for them. Dollie Edwards was a healthier woman but was struck down by a mysterious illness after repeated arguments with Velma. She died after serious stomach and back cramps.

  This theme of death seemed to be following Velma wherever she went. If that were not enough, a man that she was dating died in a car accident. Velma did well out of his death as he had made her the sole beneficiary of his life insurance which amounted to $5,000. Just when Velma thought her life was improving with the news of her son returning from military service, she lost her job. It was around this time that Velma was arrested after forging a prescription and she got into further trouble with the law when she attempted to cash forged cheques. Velma started caring for another elderly couple, eighty-six-year-old farmer, John Henry Lee and his seventy-six-year-old wife, Record. Velma reportedly grew tired of Lee’s conversation and he died after a short illness of the same description as her previous landlords. The doctors assumed that he had died from an airborne virus and never suspected foul play. Never once did the police suspect that Velma had anything to do with the suspicious string of deaths, and a short time later she moved in with Stuart Taylor.

  Taylor was a tobacco farmer and was quite wealthy. He was aware of Velma’s criminal past and assumed that because she had recently become a better Christian that she was back on the path of righteousness and the law. Even though Taylor enjoyed Velma’s company a great deal, he had no interest in marrying her. They spent most of their time attending church functions and during one of the sermons Taylor had to leave and lay down in his vehicle. He was suffering from extreme stomach cramps and died a few days later. His sudden death puzzled doctors and his family and the doctors recommended that an autopsy be performed on him. The autopsy revealed that Stuart had been killed by the lethal drug arsenic and, as always in a murder investigation, the partner was the first suspect.

  Before the autopsy results were in, a call was received at the police station from someone who was claiming to be Velma’s sister. She told the police that Velma had murdered her husband and several other people, naming the elderly couple who had died as well as John Henry Lee. The police became suspicious immediately and questioned Velma. She denied that she was capable of such a horrible act. Later that week, Velma made a private confession to her son that she was only trying to make Stuart ill and did not intend for him to die. He encouraged her to turn herself in to the police. Velma Barfield confessed to the killings of the Edwards, John Henry Lee and her mother, Lillie Bullard. Later she admitted that the only reason for killing them was to cover up that she had stolen money from them to support her drug addiction. Velma was arrested and tried for murder in the first degree.

  The prosecutor, Joe Freeman Britt, was an advocate of capital punishment and wanted Velma tried for the first-degree murder of Stuart Taylor. Velma’s defence maintained that she only wanted to make Taylor ill so the crime should be murder in the second degree, which would of course commute the death sentence. The judge allowed further evidence from her previous marriages and the case soon closed around Velma’s neck like a hanging noose. No defence was strong enough to prevent the jury from finding Velma guilty of murder in the first degree. Velma showed no remorse at any time during the court proceedings and went as far as to applaud the closing arguments. The sentence was to be death by lethal injection. It was only later in prison that Velma admitted that she was responsible for the deaths of her husbands Thomas Stuart Burke and Jennings Barfield. S
he had carried out these killings in the same way she had with the elderly couple, John Henry Lee and of course Stuart Taylor. All in all, Velma was responsible for the deaths of at least seven people. There is the possibility that she killed others whose deaths were never suspected as unnatural.

  Velma Barfield was sent to prison in North Carolina to await her fate. During the six years before her execution she became a born-again Christian and even counselled the other inmates. She became famous and many lobbied to have her sentence reduced to life imprisonment. The appeals were denied and soon Velma became comfortable about her impending forced demise. The day before she was executed she ordered all appeals be dropped as she ‘wanted to die with dignity’. Velma denied her final meal and, dressed in her favourite pink pyjamas, was wheeled strapped to a stretcher into the execution chamber at 2.00 a.m. Three volunteers activated the lethal injection that was done in two parts with one a placebo. This was done so that no one actually knew who administered the lethal drug. She asked that her organs be made available for transplant and said the following words:

  I want to say that I am sorry for all the hurt that I have caused, I know that everybody has gone through a lot of pain – all the families connected – and I am sorry, and I want to thank everybody who has been supporting me all these six years. I want to thank my family for standing with me through all this and my attorneys and all the support to me, everybody, the people with the prison department. I appreciate everything – their kindness and everything that they have shown me during these six years.

  Velma was pronounced dead at 2.25 a.m. on November 2, 1984, in her home state of North Carolina. She was the first woman ever to die of a lethal injection and the body was removed by the ambulance service shortly thereafter. All that remains of Velma Barfield today is a book of her memoirs that she co-wrote in prison, Woman on Death Row.

  Velma was the subject of many forms of torment in her life, from self-drug-induced hysteria to the constant subjection of unrelenting pain. The kind of pain that she knew would only end with her death.

  Audrey Marie Hilley

  Audrey Marie Hilley was a master of disguise and deception. Living manufactured lives, posing as non-existent family members and deceiving the people who cared for her most, was all in a day’s work for this criminal mastermind. Her crimes were those of someone who could not bear to be out of control and it was only after she lost it completely that she was captured.

  Audrey Marie Hilley was born in 1933 to Lucile and Huey Frazier in Blue Mountain, Alabama. Her family was not a rich one but, as most parents do, the Fraziers did their best for their children. Marie was known to be a spoiled child and delivered torrents of tantrums when she didn’t get what she demanded. Her parents held high hopes for her and they pressured her to achieve in school. It was not until 1945 when the family moved to Anniston, Alabama and Marie entered high school that she really started to excel scholastically. She began to fit in with her peers far better than she had in their previous town of Blue Mountain, and eventually joined the ‘Future Teachers of America’ club in school. It was also during this time that she was pursued by the boys for her looks and envied by girls. She was voted as the prettiest girl at the school one year but Marie was only interested in the affections of one boy.

  Frank Hilley, a native to Anniston, held Marie’s affections and had done since she was around twelve years old when he was still a junior in High School. Frank was not afraid to prove his point with his fists but was for the most part a nice young man. Marie’s parents were not happy when she returned Frank’s affections even though his family was not disrespected; they wanted better for their daughter. Marie ignored her family’s distaste and continued seeing Frank. Because of the attention that Marie got from the other boys in school, Frank doted on her hand and foot, anything to protect his prize. When Frank graduated from High School he joined the US Navy and while away on assignment his infatuation with Marie increased and during a period of leave in May 1951, Frank and Marie were married.

  They moved around the country from California all the way back to the East Coast and back down south to Alabama. It was not long before Frank was discharged from the navy and shortly afterwards Marie became pregnant. Michael Hilley was born on November 11, 1952. Marie was a big spender and, her husband now working at a local mill, was struggling to support her zealous buying habits. Problems came to a head when Frank had planned a trip for Marie and Michael and there was no money to buy the tickets with! Their daughter Carol Hilley was born in 1960 around the same time that Frank was promoted to foreman at the mill. It was also at this time that Marie started having problems at work. She was not a team player, but always managed to be pleasant to her boss. Due to her unpopularity with her workmates, Marie was forced to find new work quite frequently, but didn’t have any trouble getting re-employed due to her excellent references. Frank became a respected member of the community, joining clubs, while Marie became active in the local church. Many people thought Marie was odd because she would make unpleasant remarks and play power games when she didn’t get her way.

  Marie favoured her first child, Michael, and left Carol out of many things. She didn’t like Carol’s tomboyish approach to life and she didn’t measure up to what Marie expected of her daughter. When Frank noticed this, he went out of his way to spend time with Carol and they developed a strong bond. Marie became a great worry to her husband when she started to suffer from panic attacks. Marie loved to play power games with her husband and never ceased to spend their money like water. Frank’s concern jumped sky high when he was told of the debts his wife had accumulated. This was not the only embarrassment, as one day Frank came home from work sick and found his wife in bed with her employer!

  Throughout 1974 Frank’s overall health declined dramatically. In 1975 as his health continued to get worse, he told his sister that he thought that he was dying. The doctors treated him for stomach cramps, but a short time later Frank was taken to the emergency room where they found that his liver had failed. He was diagnosed with hepatitis. Several months later on May 25, 1975, Mike found his father dead in their home, and the cause of death was thought to be hepatitis. Marie collected on Frank’s life insurance at a value of $31,000. She was not a happy woman even after showering her family with gifts funded by her late husband’s life insurance. Marie complained that her family did not love her and continued to blame her daughter for a multitude of other problems.

  It was around this time that Marie asked her son Michael and his wife Teri, who had recently been diagnosed with cancer, to come and live with her. Teri didn’t get along with her mother-in-law and there were frequent arguments. Michael and Teri decided to find somewhere else to live. They found an apartment and the day before they were to move in Marie’s house caught fire and they all had to move into the new apartment together. They lived there for some time while Marie’s house was being repaired and the bickering continued. The night before Marie was to move back into her own home the apartment next door to Michael and Teri’s caught fire and they all had to move back into the house together. This was obviously an intolerable situation for the couple who were doing their best to get away from Marie and her strange behaviour.

  Throughout 1977 the police became familiar with Marie Hilley. Michael and Teri finally escaped Marie’s clutches and Marie’s mother, Lucile, died in January 1977. Marie started to call the police on a regular basis complaining of minor incidents such as a burglary or, on one occasion, a fire in her closet. Marie’s neighbour Doris Troy also reported similar occurrences, but had no idea who was responsible. Marie’s tales of woe gained her favours from certain police officers who called at her home. Officer Billy Atherton fell for her and the couple began an intense sexual relationship. A short time later Marie and Carol moved in with Mike and Teri in their new home in Pompano Beach, Florida. Marie used Mike’s money in the form of borrowing on his credit card with promises of paying him back later, but it soon became clear that her spending issues stil
l existed.

  After a few months of living with her son, Marie and Carol moved back to Anniston. It was during this time that Marie had been buying life insurance for her children. She insured Carol for $39,000 and during the next few months a series of strange occurrences took place. There were incidents such as small house fires and damaged telephone wires, but most worrying of all was that more people were getting sick! Marie became more than just a chronic spender, she also committed fraud, telling a friend that she had cancer but didn’t have enough money to cover the treatment. Problems in the Hilley household started to reach a climax in 1979, when Carol became really sick. Her symptoms were horrible stomach cramps, vomiting and fainting. Marie continued to nurse her even after she moved into her own apartment. Doctors were contacted many times during this period and after a series of tests, concluded that Carol’s problems must be mentally induced and referred her to a specialist in Birmingham.

  Michael Hilley became suspicious of his mother’s activities when the bank contacted him advising that she had attempted to cash forged cheques. Mike started to become concerned that perhaps his father might not have died naturally and decided to take his suspicions to the police. It wasn’t long before Marie was under investigation for the murder of her husband and the attempted murder of her daughter. The doctors had found Aldrige-Mees Lines under Carol’s fingernails, which are the tell-tale signs of arsenic poisoning, while Marie was being held in custody for passing the bad cheques. The tables now turned on Marie, who was charged with the attempted murder of her daughter. The investigators came to the conclusion that she had been poisoning her daughter for quite some time. The investigation gave cause for Frank Hilley’s body to be exhumed, as well as Marie’s late mother, Lucile. The forensic team soon discovered that both bodies had indeed been subject to arsenic poisoning. Marie Hilley was bailed to await trial, but ran away on November 18, 1979, on a day that she was supposed to meet with her attorney. She left a note and most of her belongings and was gone. The FBI started a manhunt but the trail went cold very quickly. There was nothing for them to find, it was like she had vanished from the face of the Earth.