Barbara Stager
Encyclopedia
Barbara Stager is an American
woman who was convicted in 1989 of murdering her husband, Russell Stager in 1988. Stager is also suspected of the earlier murder of her first husband, Larry Ford, who died in nearly identical circumstances.
got a call from Mrs. Stager, reporting that her husband had been shot. She told the responding officers that her husband kept a handgun
under his pillow when he slept, and that she must have touched it as she stirred in her sleep, causing it to discharge and kill Mr. Stager. At first the police accepted this account and ruled the incident an accidental shooting. According to shocked friends, coworkers and family members, Barbara was a devoted wife, mother, and Christian.
Jo Lynn Snow, Stager's first wife whom he divorced to marry Barbara, is credited with providing continuing evidence of Barbara's spendthrift and adulterous ways as well as the similar death of her first husband. Attorney Eric Evenson was also convinced of Barbara's evil nature, and piecing together the puzzle and determining that Mrs. Stager was guilty of murder
At the conclusion of her trial for first-degree murder on 30 August 1989, the jury deliberated for 44 minutes to reach a guilty verdict, and Stager was sentenced to death the next day. In such cases the matter is automatically reviewed by a higher court; in this case the death sentence was changed to life imprisonment (now being carried out at the North Carolina Department of Corrections) due to a technicality in the first proceeding. Stager was given the possibility of parole in 20 years as required by law.
, which profiled the case. Jerry Bledsoe
also wrote a book in 1994 about the case, entitled Before He Wakes: A True Story of Money, Marriage, Sex and Murder, which was later made into a TV movie in 1998 with the same title starring Jaclyn Smith
. A&E's City Confidential
"Durham: Dangerous Housewife" also covered the case.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
woman who was convicted in 1989 of murdering her husband, Russell Stager in 1988. Stager is also suspected of the earlier murder of her first husband, Larry Ford, who died in nearly identical circumstances.
Murder
At 6:08 a.m. on 1 February 1988, the police in Durham, North CarolinaDurham, North Carolina
Durham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the county seat of Durham County and also extends into Wake County. It is the fifth-largest city in the state, and the 85th-largest in the United States by population, with 228,330 residents as of the 2010 United States census...
got a call from Mrs. Stager, reporting that her husband had been shot. She told the responding officers that her husband kept a handgun
Handgun
A handgun is a firearm designed to be held and operated by one hand. This characteristic differentiates handguns as a general class of firearms from long guns such as rifles and shotguns ....
under his pillow when he slept, and that she must have touched it as she stirred in her sleep, causing it to discharge and kill Mr. Stager. At first the police accepted this account and ruled the incident an accidental shooting. According to shocked friends, coworkers and family members, Barbara was a devoted wife, mother, and Christian.
Jo Lynn Snow, Stager's first wife whom he divorced to marry Barbara, is credited with providing continuing evidence of Barbara's spendthrift and adulterous ways as well as the similar death of her first husband. Attorney Eric Evenson was also convinced of Barbara's evil nature, and piecing together the puzzle and determining that Mrs. Stager was guilty of murder
At the conclusion of her trial for first-degree murder on 30 August 1989, the jury deliberated for 44 minutes to reach a guilty verdict, and Stager was sentenced to death the next day. In such cases the matter is automatically reviewed by a higher court; in this case the death sentence was changed to life imprisonment (now being carried out at the North Carolina Department of Corrections) due to a technicality in the first proceeding. Stager was given the possibility of parole in 20 years as required by law.
Aftermath
Barbara Stager had a parole hearing in March 2009. She was denied parole at that time and given a new parole review date for 2012.In media
"Till Death Do Us Part: The Barbara Stager Story", is an episode of A&E's American JusticeAmerican Justice
American Justice is an American criminal justice television program on the A&E Network, hosted by Bill Kurtis. The show features interesting or notable cases, such as the Selena Murder of a Star, Scarsdale Diet doctor murder, the Hillside Stranglers, Matthew Shepard, or the Wells Fargo heist, with...
, which profiled the case. Jerry Bledsoe
Jerry Bledsoe
Jerry Bledsoe is an American author and journalist known for several true crime titles based on murders in his native state of North Carolina....
also wrote a book in 1994 about the case, entitled Before He Wakes: A True Story of Money, Marriage, Sex and Murder, which was later made into a TV movie in 1998 with the same title starring Jaclyn Smith
Jaclyn Smith
Jacquelyn Ellen "Jaclyn" Smith is an American actress and businesswoman. She is best-known for the role of Kelly Garrett in the television series Charlie's Angels, and was the only original female lead to remain with the series for its complete run...
. A&E's City Confidential
City Confidential
City Confidential is an American documentary television show, transmitted on the A&E Network, which singled out a community during each episode and investigated a crime that had occurred there. Rather than being a straighforward procedural, the installments began by focusing on the history and...
"Durham: Dangerous Housewife" also covered the case.