Wednesday, November 17, 2004
BARBARA....THE CONCLUSION
Last night when Becky came, I asked about the days following Barbara’s death. We had gone to Illinois to visit John and Barb so the immediate events were cloudy for me. In the years since, I forgot the small details that I now wondered about. Who cleaned up the blood? Who went to tell the husband? How did they get money from the register? Becky went through the first days following the crime and to make the incident complete I shall answer the questions I had….and perhaps you may have had.
It was Becky who cleaned the blood from the floor. She spoke of it as one does when recalling an unthinkable tragedy. Can one imagine cleaning a friend’s blood from the spot where they fell? War does that, accidents do that, something that cannot be avoided does that…..but ordinary people who work with ordinary people don’t do that. It was in essence an act of respect and love for Barbara.
She went on to say when she was mopping the floor, Barbara’s husband came to get Barbara’s coat and purse. No one went to his home to tell him, he received a phone call from the police, which I feel was a gross error of common courtesy. He was older than Barbara and bent over with grief. Few words were exchanged, however, each felt the other’s compassion. With all of the words in our language, they are useless until the heart mends.
The cash register had jammed and was still buzzing wildly when Becky arrived at the store. Later, in testimony, it was learned that Scott, the one who actually tried to get into the register and who shot Barbara, had gone behind the counter while Barbara was in the cooler. When she came back to the front, she immediately saw him trying to get into the register….what he didn’t know was that she had locked the drawer with the key when she went to the cooler. When the register jammed he began trying to break into it with force. The frustration of the register buzzing, not being able to get into the drawer and Barbara’s continued pleas to stop made for the tragic decision to kill her and leave.
Had he only known, the key, if turned to the “open drawer” would have given him the money he was seeking. He did discover the petty cash which were rolls of coins and were missing. The girls were actually not at the store during the robbery but knew in advance what was going to happen. They chose not to warn anyone and were with the boys afterwards. When they did talk, they were given a light sentence of a five-year parole. The boy who stayed out front to warn Scott of anyone coming was also given a five-year parole. He had turned State’s evidence.
When the trial was finally over, Scott received a 50-year life sentence with no parole. He was released after about 20-years and is living in the community now. The severity of the sentence did not match the crime for most of us. We literally felt justice had not been served. How much is a life worth? In this case….only 20-years for the guilty and a life sentence for those who loved Barbara. I am quite sure that he nor his parents feel any sting of guilt. For those of us who traded shifts with his mother and who waited on Scott and his friends….we all felt it could have been any of us. Barbara just happened to be the victim. It made an impact on all of us….and became a life changing event. What about Barbara? She had re-dedicated her life to Christ a week before she was murdered. She was proud of that decision and unknown to her……was the preamble to her journey’s end here…..
Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther
It was Becky who cleaned the blood from the floor. She spoke of it as one does when recalling an unthinkable tragedy. Can one imagine cleaning a friend’s blood from the spot where they fell? War does that, accidents do that, something that cannot be avoided does that…..but ordinary people who work with ordinary people don’t do that. It was in essence an act of respect and love for Barbara.
She went on to say when she was mopping the floor, Barbara’s husband came to get Barbara’s coat and purse. No one went to his home to tell him, he received a phone call from the police, which I feel was a gross error of common courtesy. He was older than Barbara and bent over with grief. Few words were exchanged, however, each felt the other’s compassion. With all of the words in our language, they are useless until the heart mends.
The cash register had jammed and was still buzzing wildly when Becky arrived at the store. Later, in testimony, it was learned that Scott, the one who actually tried to get into the register and who shot Barbara, had gone behind the counter while Barbara was in the cooler. When she came back to the front, she immediately saw him trying to get into the register….what he didn’t know was that she had locked the drawer with the key when she went to the cooler. When the register jammed he began trying to break into it with force. The frustration of the register buzzing, not being able to get into the drawer and Barbara’s continued pleas to stop made for the tragic decision to kill her and leave.
Had he only known, the key, if turned to the “open drawer” would have given him the money he was seeking. He did discover the petty cash which were rolls of coins and were missing. The girls were actually not at the store during the robbery but knew in advance what was going to happen. They chose not to warn anyone and were with the boys afterwards. When they did talk, they were given a light sentence of a five-year parole. The boy who stayed out front to warn Scott of anyone coming was also given a five-year parole. He had turned State’s evidence.
When the trial was finally over, Scott received a 50-year life sentence with no parole. He was released after about 20-years and is living in the community now. The severity of the sentence did not match the crime for most of us. We literally felt justice had not been served. How much is a life worth? In this case….only 20-years for the guilty and a life sentence for those who loved Barbara. I am quite sure that he nor his parents feel any sting of guilt. For those of us who traded shifts with his mother and who waited on Scott and his friends….we all felt it could have been any of us. Barbara just happened to be the victim. It made an impact on all of us….and became a life changing event. What about Barbara? She had re-dedicated her life to Christ a week before she was murdered. She was proud of that decision and unknown to her……was the preamble to her journey’s end here…..
Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther
