Warrant: Who is James Barnes? (Part I)
The State of Florida intends to execute James Barnes on August 3, 2023, at 6:00 p.m. Last week, Barnes waived all postconviction proceedings ahead of the execution. So, who is James Barnes?
On June 22, Gov. DeSantis signed a warrant scheduling the execution of James Barnes for August 3 at 6:00 p.m.—the fifth execution in the State this year. Last week, Barnes waived all postconviction proceedings ahead of the execution.
So, who is James Barnes?
This two-part series summarizes Barnes’s life, as documented in publicly available documents.1
Throughout the trial court proceedings in his case, Barnes represented himself. He said that he learned the law in prison and strongly opposed the presentation of any mitigation, citing an effort to bring finality to the victim’s family.
The record also shows that he did not want negative information presented about his family. After describing himself as a “burned out sociopath,” James summarized his situation, saying:
I’ve been in prison for almost ten years. I have no family. I have no friends. I have no relatives. I don’t have a job history. The only thing I have is a prison record.
Childhood
James grew up in Florida with his parents and his four siblings—(1) Beth (now Beth Catron), his older sister, (2) Jeannice (now Jeannice Deggendorf), James’s twin sister, (3) Michael, his younger brother, and (4) Roberta (now Roberta Smith), his younger sister.
James’s mother, Ann Barnes, was an alcoholic. She drank and smoked throughout the time she was pregnant with the twins, James and Jeannice. James’s father, Bryant Barnes, was in the military and was not around much.
James’s childhood was fraught with abuse. Records explain that James’s parents regularly beat him and his siblings. Most prominently, Bryant would have what he dubbed “blanket parties,” where he would cover the children with a blanket he got from the military and beat them. Here’s what James reported to prison officials in October 1996:
Throughout their childhood, the Barnes kids expressed the trauma they endured in different ways. James was physically and sexually abusive to his siblings, including shooting one of his brothers with a BB gun, breaking Beth’s nose, and tying Mike’s hands behind his back and beating him. There are also reports that one of his siblings stabbed him in the stomach.
James was also violent toward animals and an arsonist. It was reported that, at age 5 or 6, he set a forest on fire in Maryland. Later, it’s alleged he set a neighbor’s house on fire. James told investigators that he set the neighbor’s house on fire after the neighbor sexually assaulted him:
NOTE: It does not appear that James was charged for either incident of arson.
Around age 10, James shot frogs with a BB gun and watched the pellets come out of their stomachs. He also killed the family’s pets.
Both Jeannice and Roberta engaged in self-mutilation. At age 18, Roberta attempted suicide, requiring over 200 stitches in her neck to close a self-inflicted wound. Jeannice would put her hand through the glass window to make it bleed, which she felt allowed her to vent her anger.
Moves Out Around Age 15
Around age 15, James moved in with Chuck Vitalie. James’s Mom told investigators that Vitalie was the only person James would live with. Here is what Jeannice told investigators about the move:
He received a high school diploma at 16.2
According to Department of Corrections (DOC) records, James was in and out of prison beginning at age 17.
In 1985, James was by a girlfriend in Oklahoma:
The Miller murder, for which he was sentenced to death, occurred in April 1988—when James was 26. (More here.)
In 1991, James was Baker Acted by his father:
At the case management conference on Tuesday, James talked about this:
Marries Linda in 1995
James married Linda Diane Verzi in 1995. Records suggest Linda had children that were not James’s.
Linda did not approve of James using drugs, which caused conflict between them. James murdered Linda in 1997 and was sentenced to life in prison. While serving that life sentence, he confessed to the Miller murder, for which he was sentenced to death.
Prior TFDP Coverage on Barnes’s Case
Gov. DeSantis signing the warrant and the Florida Supreme Court’s Scheduling Order is covered here.
The background of Barnes’s case can be found here.
Analysis of the Scheduling Order in Barnes’s case is here.
James Barnes waiving his right to raise postconviction claims ahead of his execution is covered here.
My thoughts are with everyone involved in the warrant and execution process.
Most of the information in this post can be found in mitigation document from 2007, available here.
He also told the trial court this information in 2007 and again in proceedings this year related to his warrant. He also told the court that he got through the first year of college and became a certified law clerk in prison.