Velma Barfield is executed, in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Marguerite “Velma” Barfield is a name ingrained in Raleigh, North Carolina’s history, owing to the notorious events that unfolded on November 2, 1984. Marking one of the most significant milestones in the complex narrative of U.S. criminal justice, Barfield’s execution, the first of a woman in the United States after the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976, still elicits a harrowed interest. The story exemplifies the stark consequences of heinous crimes, the ethical quandaries of capital punishment, and the somber realities of mental illness and substance abuse.

Velma Barfield, a seemingly innocuous woman born in 1932 in rural South Carolina, moved from obscurity to infamy because of a series of poisonings that led her to be dubbed the “Death Row Granny.” Her victims included her own mother, two husbands, and elderly individuals she cared for professionally.

Barfield’s modus operandi was to incorporate arsenic, commonly found in rat poison, into the victims’ food or drink. The symptoms mimicked gastrointestinal ailments, which assisted her in evading detection for a long time. However, it was a meticulous autopsy on her fourth husband, Jennings Barfield, in 1978, which uncovered lethal levels of arsenic and subsequently put her in the eye of the legal storm.

Each of Barfield’s victims believed they were suffering from a common stomach flu until the complications escalated, making Velma Barfield’s deception all the more chilling. She won their trust and then exploited it, a grim reminder of the danger that can lurk even in everyday interactions.

During her trial, Velma Barfield confessed to the murders and was sentenced to death, a decision that resounded profoundly in Raleigh and throughout the nation. It propelled discussions on the death penalty and the ethics of state-sanctioned executions. Given that Barfield was the first woman to be executed post-1976, her case was seen as an exemplar, pushing forward the debate on gender and capital punishment.

Prior to her execution, Barfield resided in Raleigh’s Central Prison. She spent her time in prison seeking spiritual redemption, using Bible classes and letters to share her story and dissuade others from following her path. The tale of a woman, transformed from a caregiver into a hardened criminal, took an eerie turn as she evolved into a counselor from her prisoner confines.

On November 2, 1984, Velma Barfield was executed via lethal injection. This event—both historic and horrifying—generated a divisive reception. It raised tough questions about the morality of the death penalty, about mental health and substance abuse issues that remained largely unaddressed during Barfield’s trial, and about the broader implications for women on death row.

The execution elicited diverse reactions from the local community and the external world. Despite the public tumult, capital punishment stayed in effect in North Carolina, enforced by the need to protect society from dangerous criminals. To this day, the Velma Barfield case tests the sensibilities of North Carolinians, touching upon diverging views on retribution, ethics, justice, and penance.

Velma Barfield’s execution in Raleigh, North Carolina on November 2, 1984, has proven an inexhaustible source of discourse about crime and punishment. The significance of her case extends beyond that fateful autumn day and continues to reverberate in conversations regarding the death penalty, as well as the relationship between gender, crime, and justice. Although over three decades have passed, the story of Velma Barfield, the first woman executed in the U.S after the reinstatement of the death penalty, remains as relevant and thought-provoking as ever.