Velma Barfield was a serial killer who was responsible for the deaths of at least six people, including her mother, three husbands, and two elderly people she was caring for as a home health nurse. Born in 1932 to a poor and abusive family, Velma had a troubled childhood and grew up to struggle with addiction and personal relationships. She married her first husband, Thomas, at the age of 17 and had two children with him, but their marriage was marked by infidelity and abuse. After Thomas's death in a fire, Velma married again and continued to have a string of failed relationships. She began working as a home health nurse and started poisoning her patients with arsenic, which she believed would give her control over their lives. Velma was eventually caught after one of her patients, Stuart Taylor, died from arsenic poisoning. She confessed to the crime and was sentenced to death. Velma was executed by lethal injection in 1984 at the age of 52, becoming the first woman to be executed in the United States since 1962.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. Margie Velma Bullard was born on October 29, 1932.
2. She grew up in a poor family in South Carolina.
3. Her father, Murphy, was a tobacco farmer and was physically abusive to her and her siblings.
4. Velma had eight other siblings.
5. Her mother, Lillian, did not intervene when her father was abusive to the children.
6. Velma started dating Thomas in high school, and they got married at the age of 17.
7. They had two children, Ronald and Kim.
8. Thomas got into a car accident in 1964 and suffered from severe migraines, which led him to become addicted to medication and alcohol.
9. Velma's marriage to Thomas ended in divorce, and she married Jenning Barfield in 1969.
10. Jenning was 16 years older than Velma and had health problems, including diabetes, emphysema, and heart disease.
11. Velma's second marriage also ended in divorce due to her addiction to medication and Jenning's health issues.
12. Jenning died of heart complications in 1971.
13. Velma started dating Stuart Taylor, whom she met at a church meeting.
14. Velma was arrested for writing bad checks and later confessed to murdering Stuart, who died of arsenic poisoning.
15. Velma was also suspected of poisoning her mother, Lillian, and two elderly couples she had cared for, but she denied these allegations.
16. Velma was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to death in 1978.
17. She was executed by lethal injection on November 2, 1984, at the age of 52.
18. Velma was the first woman to be executed in the United States since 1962.
19. Before her execution, Velma wrote letters to the families of her victims, apologizing and asking for forgiveness.
20. The families refused to accept her apology.