Offender Record · OFF-2026-009
Velma Barfield (photo from the Radford University biography)
Margie Velma Barfield
Also known as Margie Velma Bullard, Death Row Granny, Mama Margie, The Black Widow
Sex
Female
Race
White
Born
1932
Custody
Deceased
States
NC, SC
Custody
Executed by lethal injection November 2, 1984
This record documents arrests, charges and convictions reported by courts, law enforcement agencies and news organizations. Every statement is tied to a cited source with an archived copy. A charge is an accusation, not proof of guilt; a person charged is presumed innocent unless convicted. Solve the Case does not allege that this person committed any offense beyond what the cited records state, and this record is not a suggestion that the person is connected to any unsolved case. How records are built, corrected and removed.
Summary of the record
Margie Velma Barfield was convicted of the first-degree murder of Stuart Taylor on December 1978 in Robeson County, North Carolina. She confessed to poisoning with arsenic four victims—Montgomery Edwards, Dollie Edwards, John Henry Lee, and her mother Lillie Bullard—killing them to conceal theft and forgery. She was executed by lethal injection on November 2, 1984, at Central Prison in Raleigh, becoming the first woman executed in the United States since 1962 and the first to be executed by lethal injection.
Documented Arrests, Charges and Convictions
Dispositions are shown exactly as the cited records report them. Pending charges are updated when a court acts; a record with no remaining conviction or pending charge is removed from the site.
Offense date Jan 1978, Lumberton, North Carolina
First-degree murder of Stuart Taylor
Robeson County Sheriff's Department, North Carolina · State Superior Court, Robeson County (trial transferred to adjoining county due to pretrial publicity) · Arrested Mar 13, 1978 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Death penalty by lethal injection
Barfield mixed arsenic-based rat poison into Stuart Taylor's beer and tea, claiming to cover up her forgeries on his account to fund her drug addiction. Taylor became ill and Barfield volunteered to nurse him. He was taken to hospital where he died within days. An autopsy revealed acute arsenic poisoning. Barfield was arrested after her sister called police.
SourcesBarfield, Margie Velma (née Bullard); Margie Velma Barfield v. James C. Woodard, 748 F.2d 844 (4th Cir. 1984); Velma Margie Barfield #29; Radford University serial killer biography: Barfield, Velma
Pattern and Background
Victim counts and the pattern of the offenses as stated by courts, agencies and the cited reporting. Suspected counts are what officials have said publicly, not a finding of this site.
1
Victims convicted
4
Victims confessed
7
Victims suspected
Active years
1969–1978
Victim profile
Elderly, Partners or spouses, Family members, Acquaintances
Stated motive
Financial gain, Concealing another crime
Range from home
local
Confessed
Yes
Education
some high school
Marital history
Married, Widowed, Separated
Children
2
Died
1984-11-02 · executed
Places Lived, Worked and Frequented
Each place and date range comes from a cited record. Dates marked approximate are as reported. Know a place that is missing? Use Edit record under the photo; a moderator reviews it before it appears.
NC
Eastover, North Carolina
approx. 1932 – 1934
Wade, North Carolina
approx. 1934 – 1945 · Father's farm, no electricity or running water
Robeson, North Carolina
approx. Aug 1945 – 1949 · Met Thomas Burke
Red Springs, North Carolina
approx. 1949 – 1951 · Thomas working at textile mill
Wade, North Carolina
approx. 1951 – 1951 · Thomas working for soft drink company
Parkton, North Carolina
approx. Oct 1951 – 1962 · Rented house for eleven years
Raeford, North Carolina
approx. 1958 – 1967 · Textile mill worker
Parkton, North Carolina
approx. 1963 – 1967 · House built by Thomas Burke on one acre
Parkton, North Carolina
approx. 1967 – 1972 · Belk Department Store clerk
Parkton, North Carolina
approx. 1967 – 1972 · Cotton mill machine operator
Parkton, North Carolina
approx. 1971 – 1972 · Mother's home after losing house
Parkton, North Carolina
approx. 1973 – 1974 · Daughter Kim's mobile home
Raleigh, North Carolina
Mar 1974 – Jul 1974 · Correctional Center for Women, six-month sentence for bad checks, released after four months
Lumberton, North Carolina
Nov 1975 – Jun 1977 · Live-in caretaker for Montgomery and Dollie Edwards
Lumberton, North Carolina
Apr 1977 – Oct 1977 · Live-in caretaker for John Henry Lee and Record Lee
Lumberton, North Carolina
approx. Oct 1977 – Mar 1978 · Rented trailer, worked as nurse's aid at nursing home
Lumberton, North Carolina
Mar 10, 1978 – Mar 10, 1978 · Brought to Robeson County Sheriff's Department for questioning regarding Stuart Taylor's death
Lumberton, North Carolina
Mar 13, 1978 – Apr 19, 1978 · Robeson County jail
Raleigh, North Carolina
Apr 19, 1978 – Apr 19, 1978 · Dorothea Dix State Hospital for psychiatric evaluation
Lumberton, North Carolina
Apr 19, 1978 – Nov 23, 1978 · Robeson County jail awaiting trial
Raleigh, North Carolina
Nov 30, 1978 – Nov 02, 1984 · Central Prison, death row (section for mentally ill and escape-prone inmates)
SC
Dillon, South Carolina
approx. 1949 – 1949 · Married to Thomas Burke
Photographs by Year
Velma Barfield (photo from the Radford University biography)
Photo from en.wikipedia.org
Timeline
Oct 29, 1932
Margie Velma Bullard born in Eastover, North Carolina.
Oct 1945
Velma's father sexually assaulted her at age 13 while she was ill with flu.
1949
Velma married Thomas Burke in Dillon, South Carolina.
Oct 12, 1951
Velma gave birth to son Ronnie.
Sep 03, 1953
Velma gave birth to daughter Kim.
Apr 21, 1969
Thomas Burke died of smoke inhalation from a burning cigarette while in a drunken sleep; Velma's drug abuse escalated.
Aug 23, 1970
Velma married Jennings Barfield.
Mar 22, 1971
Velma poisoned second husband Jennings Barfield with arsenic; he died with difficulty breathing, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Mar 1974
Velma arrested for writing bad checks; pleaded guilty and received six-month sentence, serving four months.
Dec 30, 1974
Velma's mother Lillie Bullard died in Fayetteville, North Carolina hospital; doctor attributed death to heart attack.
Jan 29, 1977
Montgomery Edwards died in Lumberton, North Carolina while under Velma's care.
Feb 28, 1977
Velma purchased poison and poisoned Dollie Edwards.
Mar 01, 1977
Dollie Edwards died in Lumberton, North Carolina.
Jun 04, 1977
Velma forged a check for $50 on John Henry Lee's account and poisoned him to prevent discovery; he died in Lumberton, North Carolina.
Feb 03, 1978
Stuart Taylor died in Lumberton, North Carolina after Velma poisoned him with arsenic; autopsy revealed arsenic poisoning.
Mar 10, 1978
Police brought Velma to Robeson County Sheriff's Department for questioning regarding Stuart Taylor's death.
Mar 13, 1978
Velma offered confession without attorney present and was brought to jail.
Mar 28, 1978
Velma indicted by Robeson County grand jury for first-degree murder of Stuart Taylor.
Nov 23, 1978
Velma's trial began in Elizabethtown, North Carolina; charged with first-degree murder of Stuart Taylor.
Nov 27, 1978
Velma tried at Special Criminal Session of state superior court with jury reaching guilty verdict of first-degree murder; sentenced to death.
Nov 30, 1978
Jury recommended death penalty; Velma transferred to Correctional Center for Women in Raleigh and placed on death row.
Dec 1978
Velma convicted of first-degree murder of Stuart Taylor.
Feb 03, 1979
Original execution date set; Velma received a stay.
Sep 1980
North Carolina Supreme Court refused to hear Velma's appeal; new execution date set.
Oct 17, 1980
New execution date set; Velma received a stay.
Dec 12, 1980
New execution date set; Velma received a stay.
Mar 22, 1982
New execution date set; Velma received a stay.
Oct 03, 1983
U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear Velma's case.
Aug 31, 1984
Execution date set for August 31, 1984.
Oct 20, 1984
Ronnie and Kim brought their children to visit Velma; she chose lethal injection over gas chamber.
Nov 02, 1984
Velma Barfield executed by lethal injection at Central Prison in Raleigh, North Carolina, at age 52.
Sources
Solve the Case is never the original source. Each item below is the public record a statement on this page rests on, with an archived copy where one exists.
Offender registry · Find a Grave ·
Velma Barfield (1932-1984) - Find a Grave Memorial“She was finally executed on November 2, 1984 by lethal injection at Central Prison in Raleigh, North Carolina.”
Law enforcement release · Clark Prosecutor Office Death Penalty Database ·
Velma Margie Barfield #29“She was convicted on seven counts of writing bad checks.”
News report · Wikipedia ·
Velma Barfield“Margie Velma Barfield was an American serial killer who was convicted of one murder but was linked to seven murders in total.”
News report · Wikipedia ·
Central Prison“She was housed in the Central Prison's section for mental cases, especially assaultive inmates, and prisoners considered prone to escape.”
Other government record · North Carolina Collection, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ·
Barfield, Margie Velma (née Bullard)“Velma Barfield was convicted of the first-degree murder of Stuart Taylor in December 1978.”
Other government record · North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources ·
Velma Barfield, Serial Killer“On November 2, 1984, Velma Barfield, from Cumberland County, became the first woman in the nation executed by lethal injection.”
Other · Radford University Department of Psychology ·
Radford University serial killer biography: Barfield, Velma“Velma was arrested and placed into jail for bad checks in March 1974.”
Court record · U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit ·
Margie Velma Barfield v. James C. Woodard, 748 F.2d 844 (4th Cir. 1984)“Margie Velma Barfield was indicted on March 28, 1978, for the first degree murder of Stewart Taylor, by a Robeson County, North Carolina grand jury.”
Discussion
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