Death Sentence: The True Story of Velma Barfield's Life, Crimes, and Punishment
May 2014 · Diversion Books
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A shocking true story of a double life undone by murder.
When North Carolina farmer Stuart Taylor died after a sudden illness, his 46-year-old fiancée Velma Barfield, was overcome with grief. Taylor's family grieved with her—until the autopsy revealed traces of arsenic poisoning. Turned over to the authorities by her own son, Velma stunned her family with more revelations. This wasn't the first time the born-again Christian and devout Sunday school teacher had committed cold-blooded murder. Tried by the "world's deadliest prosecutor," and sentenced to death, Velma turned her life around and gained worldwide attention.
With chilling precision,New York Times bestselling author Bledsoe probes Velma's stark descent into madness. From her harrowing childhood to the shocking crimes that incited a national debate over the death penalty, to the dark, final moments of her execution—broadcast live on CNN—Velma Barfield's riveting life of crime and punishment, revenge and redemption is true crime reporting at its most gripping and profound.
"A painfully intimate, moving story about the life and death of the only woman executed in the U.S. between 1962-1998... explores a facet of human behavior that defies easy definitions or easy answers... with graceful writing and thorough reporting, it makes the reader look hard at something dark and sad in the human soul... breathes new life into the true crime genre." —Raleigh News & Observer
"Bledsoe has written a detailed account of Barfield's troubled life and motives...holds the reader's interest with a true story that reads like a novel." —Library Journal
"Undertakes to answer the questions about the justice system and the motives that drive women to kill." —Washington Post Book World
"An extraordinary piece of writing... the most chilling description of a legal execution that we are ever likely to get." —Asheville Citizen Times
"Substantial... focused and intensive... genuinely instructive." —The Spectator
"Bledsoe has been long known as one of the most prodigiously talented reporters and writers in the country." —Tom French
"Taut and engrossing on the nature of justice and the death penalty as well as on guilt and responsibility." —Booklist
When North Carolina farmer Stuart Taylor died after a sudden illness, his 46-year-old fiancée Velma Barfield, was overcome with grief. Taylor's family grieved with her—until the autopsy revealed traces of arsenic poisoning. Turned over to the authorities by her own son, Velma stunned her family with more revelations. This wasn't the first time the born-again Christian and devout Sunday school teacher had committed cold-blooded murder. Tried by the "world's deadliest prosecutor," and sentenced to death, Velma turned her life around and gained worldwide attention.
With chilling precision,New York Times bestselling author Bledsoe probes Velma's stark descent into madness. From her harrowing childhood to the shocking crimes that incited a national debate over the death penalty, to the dark, final moments of her execution—broadcast live on CNN—Velma Barfield's riveting life of crime and punishment, revenge and redemption is true crime reporting at its most gripping and profound.
"A painfully intimate, moving story about the life and death of the only woman executed in the U.S. between 1962-1998... explores a facet of human behavior that defies easy definitions or easy answers... with graceful writing and thorough reporting, it makes the reader look hard at something dark and sad in the human soul... breathes new life into the true crime genre." —Raleigh News & Observer
"Bledsoe has written a detailed account of Barfield's troubled life and motives...holds the reader's interest with a true story that reads like a novel." —Library Journal
"Undertakes to answer the questions about the justice system and the motives that drive women to kill." —Washington Post Book World
"An extraordinary piece of writing... the most chilling description of a legal execution that we are ever likely to get." —Asheville Citizen Times
"Substantial... focused and intensive... genuinely instructive." —The Spectator
"Bledsoe has been long known as one of the most prodigiously talented reporters and writers in the country." —Tom French
"Taut and engrossing on the nature of justice and the death penalty as well as on guilt and responsibility." —Booklist
A shocking true story of a double life undone by murder.
When North Carolina farmer Stuart Taylor died after a sudden illness, his 46-year-old fiancée Velma Barfield, was overcome with grief. Taylor's family grieved with her—until the autopsy revealed traces of arsenic poisoning. Turned over to ...
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Ratings and reviews
20 reviews
Eddie Gallo
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September 9, 2015
First book by this author I have read and certainly well written and keeps the reader's interest throughout. A very difficult subject with many who suport arguments both for and against capital punishment, but Bledsoe has been able to write this story without seeming to support either the pro or anti factions, leaving it to the reader to decide for themselves. Recommended and will certainly look for more true crime titles from this author.
4 people found this review helpful
Karen Devereaux
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October 1, 2018
Worse book ever. Long laborious boring. Don't even bother.
1 person found this review helpful
Dawn DeRoche
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December 17, 2014
Wow !!! If you like true crime this is the novel for you. Fast paced and keeps you hooked till the end .
1 person found this review helpful
About the author
Jerry Bledsoe is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Bitter Blood and others. Among the many publications in which his work has appeared are Esquire and the New York Times. Bledsoe lives in North Carolina and Virginia.
Jerry Bledsoe is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Bitter Blood and others. Among the many publications in which his work has appeared are Esquire and the New York Times. Bledsoe lives in North Carolina and Virginia.
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