While it is not uncommon for people to come across an article describing a male serial-killer responsible for a series of gruesome murders, it is not often that one happens to learn about a female serial killer who was just as vile. Velma Barfield was one of them. The most unsettling thing, however, is that most of her victims were members of her own family, her mother included. Here is a brief glimpse into the life of one of the most unconventional serial killers of all time .

Velma Barfield – The atypical female serial-killer

Born in the United States, Velma Barfield (previously Bullard) was an American serial killer, whose victims were her family members and a couple of acquaintances. She was the first woman in the world to be executed by lethal injection.

Velma Barfield was born on October 29, 1932, to a poor family in rural South Carolina.  She was the second oldest child of nine and the oldest daughter of Murphy and Lillie Bullard. Although her father loved her dearly, Velma was supposedly a victim of his constant abuse, which was looked on by her submissive mother Lillie, who did nothing to stop Murphy. This caused Velma to grow an even bitter resentment towards her mother. At 17, she escaped the Bullard household and got married to her high school boyfriend Thomas Burke, with whom she thought had finally found happiness. In December 1951, Velma gave birth to a son, Ronald Thomas. By September 1953, she gave birth to their second child, a girl they named Kim. Velma and Thomas were admired for their amazing parenting skills and solid Christian values. Velma spent her days as a stay-at-home mom while Thomas worked hard at multiple jobs to provide the family with basic comforts.

However, in 1963, Velma had a hysterectomy, which subjected her to severe mood swings and temper tantrums. Things took a turn for the worse when Thomas got involved in a car accident in 1965. To cope with the pain that he suffered in the accident, Thomas started abusing drugs and consuming copious amounts of alcohol. This led to endless bitter arguments between the couple, and subsequently, Velma became a victim of drug abuse as well. On April 4, 1969, Velma, along with her kids, who had left the house during the day, returned home to find her husband dead as a result of a mysterious fire that had burned their house down.

Following the tragedy, Velma escaped to her parents’ house along with the kids while waiting for the insurance check. Less than a year later, Velma married widower Jennings Barfield, who was suffering from emphysema, diabetes, and a heart disease. Their marriage ended sooner than Velma could’ve anticipated, due to her drug abuse. But before they could get a divorce, Jennings died of heart failure.

Widowed again, a deranged Velma moved back into her parents’ home. Not long after moving in with her parents, Velma's father died of lung cancer. In the summer of 1974, Velma's mother began complaining of severe stomach pains. However, she was sent back home from the hospital she was admitted in after the symptoms had subsided. Velma began dating a man in August 1974 who was killed in a fatal car accident soon after. In December that year, Velma's mother began to show symptoms of the stomach illness for the second time. She was rushed to a nearby hospital, where the doctors pronounced her dead two hours after being admitted. The doctors were unable to diagnose Lillie Bullard's fatal illness, nor was an autopsy performed.

In 1976, Velma secured a job as a health home nurse where she was assigned duty as a caretaker of an elderly couple, 94-year-old Montgomery Edwards and his 84-year-old wife Dollie. A year later, Montgomery Edwards died under mysterious circumstances after he complained of stomach pain. A few weeks later, in late February 1977, Dollie Edwards also died, apparently having developed the same stomach illness. In late 1977, she began caring for another elderly couple, John Henry and his wife Record Lee. The former died under similar circumstances that led to the death of the Edwards’ after he experienced severe pain in his chest and stomach along with vomiting and diarrhea.

Following the episode, Velma moved in with her boyfriend Stuart Taylor, who also died of a stomach virus soon after. It was then that the police ordered an autopsy and determined the cause of Stuart’s death as arsenic poisoning. A phone call from Velma’s panic-stricken sister revealed that Velma was indeed responsible for the deaths of Stuart Taylor, John Henry, Montogamy Edwards, Dollie Edwards, her mother Lillie Bullard, and her then husbands Jennings Barfield and Thomas Burke. However, she only confessed to the murders of the former five, claiming that she had killed them to cover up the fact that she had stolen money from them to support her illicit drug use.

In December 1978, Velma Barfield was convicted of first-degree murder and was given a death sentence. She was the first woman to be executed since 1962 and was also the first ever woman to be put to death by lethal injection. The sentence was carried out on November 2, 1984.

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