Home β†’ Velma Barfield
⚠ FLAGGED
This is the documented grave of a convicted criminal. Information below comes from public records.

Velma Barfield

1932-10-29 – 1984-11-02 Convicted 1984
Buried at: Parkton Cemetery , Parkton, NC Β· Burke family plot (name does not appear on marker)

Criminal History (Public Record)

Convicted of murdering her fiancΓ© Stuart Taylor by arsenic poisoning. She admitted to several other arsenic poisonings (including her mother, two husbands, and elderly people in her care) to support a prescription drug addiction. She had also been linked to killing one husband in a house fire.

Background

Velma Barfield (1932–1984), known as the "Death Row Granny," was executed by lethal injection on November 2, 1984, in Raleigh, North Carolina. She was the first woman executed in the United States since 1962 and the first in North Carolina after the reinstatement of the death penalty.

Sources & Verification

  • Convicted 1978–1984 in North Carolina of murder by arsenic poisoning. Executed November 2, 1984 (first woman executed in the U.S. post-reinstatement). Buried Parkton Cemetery, Robeson County (Burke family plot). Find a Grave memorial 6786695: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6786695/velma-barfield . Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velma_Barfield . Extensive contemporary news coverage.

All information on this site is drawn from publicly available records. We strongly recommend verifying directly with the cemetery and primary sources before making any decisions.

No other flagged graves found within 5 miles of this location in our current database.
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