Florida | Murderer's family anxiously awaits his execution

Convicted of killing two women ― including his wife ― and admitting to two more murders while on death row, Barnes destroyed numerous families. For his actions, the state of Florida will inject him with poison on Aug. 3 and his life will end.

The pain and suffering he imposed on his victims' families will surely simmer on. But at least one family is hoping his execution brings them some sort of point to reset, or at least a chance to live the rest of their lives out from under his shadow of violence and blood.

"Our family is glad the nightmare will soon be over, and maybe we’ll be able to sleep in peace," Barnes' older sister, Beth Catron told me, detailing the mental toll of having a murderer for a brother has had on her and her siblings. "We're all mental cases and oh God, my sister, my little sister has a hard time coping with day-to-day life. We were all drug addicts."

Catron, who lives in Grant-Valkaria, went on to tell me that Barnes' twin sister, Jeannice, still struggles with drug addiction, another sister kicked the habit and their little brother, Michael, killed himself.

With Gov. Ron DeSantis signing the death warrant and Barnes waiving his rights for further appeal, it appears the end in imminent. I asked Catron if she thought his execution might bring some closure or peace.

"We hope so," she said. "I hope it more for my sister Jeannice, the twin, because she has had a very hard time coping.

"I believe if it wasn't for James, our family would have held together. I believe Mike would still be alive today. You know, I have a certain belief that if it wasn't for James, we wouldn't be where we are now. We would be home."

Barnes already had a lengthy record with numerous convictions for drugs, arson, theft, burglary, a pair of stabbings and other crimes when he was arrested for murdering his wife, Linda, in 1997, after she learned he was selling drugs. He was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. Unbeknownst to law enforcement at the time, it wasn't the first time he had murdered.

Years later, citing a religious conversion to Islam, Barnes confessed to raping and murdering Melbourne nurse Patricia "Patsy" Miller in 1988. He stalked Miller, hid in her closet in the nude, watching her for several hours before raping her and then bludgeoning her to death. He then set her apartment on fire to try and conceal evidence.

For that crime he was sentenced to die. He told German filmmaker Werner Herzog in 2012 that he killed Miller because she had humiliated him but gave no other details. He also confessed two other murders to Herzog ― Brenda Fletcher, for stealing his wallet, and Chester Wetmore, for stealing his drugs ― but was never convicted in those cases.

Catron has had no contact with him since 1997 but would not turn him away if he reached out.

"As a sister, I had hopes and dreams for him," she said. "I wish he could have had a life. I wish he could be free. I wish for the normal things for him but that's never going to happen. It was never going to happen."

Catron said it was evident from a very early age that her brother James was unlike other children.

Barnes killed the family cat and he would shoot frogs that got into the family swimming pool in Satellite Beach with a pellet gun rather than scoop them out with a net. He also set a number of fires over the years.

"At the age of 4 he was locking my sister underneath the basement steps, and she was petrified," she said. "She was terrified when she would hear footsteps and she was always in my room."

His childhood was littered with stints in juvenile detention.

"James was diagnosed as a sociopath as child," Catron said. "We used to go to Rockledge back in the '70s for his psychiatry appointments and that's where he got his diagnosis."

Catron believes Barnes could be responsible for more deaths, including some out of state. She said there were some incidents in Oklahoma that she heard about while Barnes was living there. During the interview with filmmaker Herzog, Barnes said "There are other crimes out there that I've committed that I have not been held accountable for."

"It's scary to know there are people out there like him," Catron said. "Pure evil needs to be exterminated. There is no place in our world for him. Think of the families he destroyed, including ours. My dad used to ask, 'Is he dead yet?' I’d answer 'No.' 'That’s a shame,' is all he could say."

Source: floridatoday.com, John A. Torres, June 30, 2023

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