James Barnes (murderer)

Not to be confused with James Antonio Barnes, a serial killer based in Tennessee.
James Barnes
Born
James Phillip Barnes

(1962-03-07)March 7, 1962
DiedAugust 3, 2023(2023-08-03) (aged 61)
Florida State Prison, Raiford, Florida, U.S.
Cause of deathExecution by lethal injection
NationalityAmerican
Criminal statusExecuted
Conviction(s)First degree murder (2 counts)
Criminal penalty
Details
Victims
  • Patricia "Patsy" Miller, 41
  • Linda V. Barnes, 44
Date
  • April 20, 1988
  • December 11, 1997
CountryUnited States
State(s)Florida
Date apprehended
December 12, 1997

James Phillip Barnes (March 7, 1962 – August 3, 2023) was an American murderer and self-identified serial killer who was executed by the state of Florida for the 1988 rape and murder of Patricia Miller. After converting to Islam and saying that he wanted to clear his conscience, he confessed to the murder in 2005, while already serving a life sentence for the 1997 murder of his wife.[1][2]

In 2012, Barnes was featured in the first episode of Werner Herzog's television series On Death Row, in which he was interviewed by Herzog at Florida State Prison. He then sent Herzog a written confession to the unsolved murders of Chester Wetmore and Brenda Fletcher.[3] He was not charged in either case.[4][5]

  1. ^ Gallop, J.D. (June 22, 2023). "DeSantis signs death warrant for Brevard man convicted of killing Melbourne nurse in 1988". Florida Today. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  2. ^ Anderson, Curt (August 4, 2023). "Florida man who dropped appeals is executed for 1988 hammer killing of a nurse". Associated Press. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  3. ^ "On death row s01 e01 james barnes". October 9, 2019. Archived from the original on June 24, 2023. Retrieved June 28, 2023 – via YouTube.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference fdoc was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Neale, Rick (August 3, 2023). "Florida executes Brevard death row inmate James Barnes | Recap". Florida Today. Retrieved August 4, 2023.