[female narrator]: A sleepy texas town is shaken awake
By a harrowing 911 call.
He was dead in his chair. She needed help.
[narrator]: As the dust settles,
A seemingly simple narrative takes shape.
[jc]: She was saying that he was verbally abusive,
And he would always put her down.
[narrator]: But a well-kept secret threatens to expose
A far darker truth.
I don't understand why somebody would be able to get away with
Something like this the first time.
This is how she handles problems.
It was same story, different situation.
[narrator]: And there are always two sides to every story
She wasn't a nice person. She was pushing the family away.
She meant to take this man's life,
And that's exactly what she did.
I would just like to tell my side of the story.
I didn't plan anything.
I just snapped.
[theme music]
[narrator]: About two hours southeast of dallas,
The 6,000 residents of rusk live in the heart of east texas
Everybody kinda knows who their neighbors are,
Even though their neighbor lives a half mile away from them.
The in-town area has, like, the little diner and stuff.
It's a really old town style.
[narrator]: Just after 2:30 pm on February 26, 2014,
A rare 911 call comes in to dispatch.
The call was made by rebecca barker.
She called 911 and reported that she had shot her husband.
[narrator]: As authorities rush to the scene,
The 911 operator stays on the line with 52-year-old rebecca.
[narrator]: The operator alerts the trooper en route
That he may be entering a hostile situation.
The very first thing that they are gonna be concerned about
Is does that shooter still have access to a weapon.
[narrator]: As he approaches the home,
The front door slowly starts to open.
[deborah]: She cracked the door open.
He raised the-the weapon and ordered her to come out.
[narrator]: The trooper braces for a standoff,
But rebecca backs down.
[deborah]: She complied, she came out on the front porch.
He was able to go up, get her secured.
Make sure she didn't have a weapon on her.
[jc]: She wasn't really talking.
She-she seemed to be, uhm, distraught.
She was shut down.
So I wasn't able to speak with her.
[narrator]: When investigators arrive and enter the home,
They quickly find rebecca's husband,
76-year-old jerry barker.
[deborah]: Jerry's body was sitting in his chair.
Feet were up on the ottoman.
It looked like he was still asleep in his easy chair
Except for the pooling of blood on his chest.
When they checked for a pulse, there was none.
His body had already begun cooling.
There-they were not able to put a definite timeframe,
But it was pretty obvious he'd been dead for a little bit
[narrator]: Outside, officers inform rebecca
That her husband is deceased,
And they attempt to get her side of the story.
[jc]: In a situation like this, what we do, we start--
We just ask them, tell me what happened.
Give me your side of what occurred.
[narrator]: Born in 1937, rusk native jerry barker's life
Centered around family and the open road.
[prissy]: Jerry drove an eighteen-wheeler for a living.
He was definitely a hardworking guy.
He owned his own truck, and he drove for a company
All across the country.
[narrator]: In 1957, jerry married the love of his life,
Francis "mae" barker.
They had four children--
Three boys of their own, plus a son from mae's first marriage
[wendy]: My grandparents were a perfect couple.
And my grandpa raised all four boys
Because the dad of the oldest son wasn't around.
Jerry loved mae, and he put her up on a pedestal,
And that I always thought was great.
[narrator]: Jerry's work may have kept him on the road.
But when he was home,
Jerry was all about spending time with his family.
[wendy]: If he wasn't driving the truck,
He was definitely always around
One thing my grandpa taught his kids was how to work on cars,
Because that's what he did, and he wanted them to learn, too.
[prissy]: Jerry's main thing that he wanted out of life
Was the happy home.
He wasn't trying to conquer the world.
He was just trying to conquer his little corner.
[narrator]: Eventually, mae and jerry's boys grew up
And had families of their own.
Jerry still loved being on the road,
But grandchildren made coming home that much sweeter.
My grandpa loved when he got off the truck
To see, like, if grandkids were at the house already.
We saw his truck drive up,
We were like, you know, papaw's here, and we were all excited.
[narrator]: After over 40 years of marriage,
Jerry was looking forward to his golden years with mae.
But in 2001, those dreams suddenly disappeared
When mae suffered a fatal heart attack.
The entire family was overcome with grief,
But no one more so than jerry.
[wendy]: The only life that he knew was with her.
Having her gone,
I don't think that he was able to really grasp it.
I think that he felt a huge empty feeling.
[narrator]: Jerry tried to take solace on the road.
But no matter how many miles he logged,
He always returned home with a heavy heart.
Then, in 2002, the 64-year-old
Met 40-year-old waitress rebecca osborne.
[wendy]: That's how they met,
Because he was a customer at her café--
When she, at one time, apparently, had talked to him
And they started to flirt.
[narrator]: Rebecca was a divorcee
With two grown children of her own.
[prissy]: Rebecca was twenty years younger than him,
And I think probably the first attraction was,
She was just kind to him, and he playfully flirted back.
And him and her started going out
And started seeing each other.
[narrator]: Jerry was smitten with the kind waitress.
It was less than a year after he had lost my grandma
That rebecca was there.
So, to me, that seemed fast,
But I just figured maybe because of his age,
Things were a little different.
He said to us, y'all don't understand how hard it's been
Since mae died,
And to have somebody to be around
Helps fill that void.
I'm not so lonely.
[narrator]: For the next 6 years,
Rebecca frequently joined jerry on the road.
But by 2008, he decided to change lanes.
He quit driving a truck and bought a general store
In nearby dialville.
And so, he sold his eighteen-wheeler,
And he took that money and he invested it into a store.
[narrator]: In love and inseparable,
Rebecca and jerry relished working side by side.
She cooked, worked back in the café.
She would run the register.
She did the finances and the books.
[prissy]: Jerry wasn't very business wise,
But he was a goodhearted man.
Everybody in the little community right there knew him
And said, "hello, how ya doing jerry?"
[narrator]: For more than five years,
Jerry and rebecca ran the store
It appeared that jerry would enjoy his golden years
After all--with rebecca.
But on the afternoon of February 26, 2014,
After 12 years of marriage,
Jerry barker is dead from a gunshot wound to the chest,
And rebecca has just confessed to pulling the trigger.
[deborah]: They found a bullet in the floor
In front of the couch.
T here was also a bullet in the chair
That had been fired through the center of his chest
And came out his lower back.
There was only entry wound and one exit wound.
Police said that immediately, they could tell that he had been
Shot by someone who seemed to be standing above him.
[deborah]: They did locate a ruger .357.
That was later confirmed by rebecca barker as having been
The murder weapon that she used to shoot jerry barker.
[narrator]: Even though they know how jerry died
And who killed him,
The scene doesn't answer the biggest question
Weighing on investigators' minds.
They know going into it what happened.
But the question they have now is, why?
[narrator]: Coming up, rebecca offers up her side.
She was saying that he was verbally abusive.
He would always say, like, well, in her words,
These awful, godawful, things to her.
[narrator]: Investigators find reason to believe
There's more to this story.
Rebecca had waited over an hour before even calling police.
[deborah]: Now we need to see if we can figure that out.
Was there more of a justification?
Is this coldblooded killing?
Is this person evil?
[theme music]
[narrator]: Within hours of her 911 call,
Investigators in rusk, texas are eager to learn
Why rebecca barker shot and killed her husband, jerry.
[deborah]: Was there more of a justification?
Is this coldblooded killing?
Is this person evil?
[narrator]: Just before the interview starts,
Rebecca requests medical attention.
She lets them know that she had taken
One of jerry's blood pressure pills,
And she's not feeling so well.
She took the blood pressure pill after she shot jerry.
Trying to calm her nerves.
[narrator]: Ems clears rebecca to go ahead with the interview.
When it begins, rebecca quickly reveals she and jerry had been
Fighting non-stop about their business venture.
The store is a source of strife in their relationship.
She and jerry were together all the time .
They fought about it constantly.
[narrator]: Rebecca paints a portrait of a woman
At her breaking point.
She takes investigators back to that morning,
Which the couple spent arguing at home.
[deborah]: So Wednesday morning, they get up
And rebecca tells him, I'm not going to work again.
It's basically all on you. I just don't want to.
[narrator]: Rebecca says this set jerry off.
[narrator]: Rebecca claims that jerry's harsh words
Are nothing new.
[jc]: She was saying that he was verbally abusive,
And he would always pick on her.
He would always just-just put her down and-and say,
Like, well in her words, these awful, godawful, things to her.
[deborah]: He had just been on her since the minute he woke up
That he was just, in-in her direct quotes,
"bitching and bitching and bitching at her".
[narrator]: Investigators consider rebecca's story.
[deborah]: We start looking at
Is there a claim for sudden passion?
You know, did this happen in the heat of the moment?
Did it arise to that level where legally she could claim that
And so it's more manslaughter than it is cold-blooded
Intentional murder?
[narrator]: Rebecca's demeanor during the interview
Is certainly indicative of a woman pushed to the brink .
[deborah]: She's very animated.
Putting her head down on the table, throwing her head back ,
Throwing her arms around.
[narrator]: But that suddenly changes
When authorities leave the room
[deborah]: All of the sudden, those histrionics stop.
She goes dead calm.
Just sittin' around, lookin' around like you and I are.
There's no emotion.
I don't believe that rebecca realized
She was being video recorded .
All of us were kind of sitting back looking at each other,
Thinking, okay, this is not normal.
[narrator]: When investigators review rebecca's statement,
They find another red flag about a small,
Yet critical piece of information
In rebecca's timeline of events
Rebecca tells law enforcement
That she took the blood pressure medication that was jerry's
About 1:30, after she shot jerry.
After that, we know that a call was made by rebecca barker.
She had tried to get ahold of her best friend.
They talked for about ten minutes or so.
Then he tells her, you need to call law enforcement,
You need to call 911, you need to do the right thing.
And then around 2:45 is when she makes the call to 911.
Rebecca had waited over an hour before even calling police.
By the time police arrive,
There was nothing they could do for him.
He was long gone.
[narrator]: The case is far from closed,
But rebecca isn't walking away a free woman.
When I went in and-and explained to her
That she was being placed under arrest at this time,
She didn't, uh, say anything.
She just went ahead and did what she's told.
[narrator]: Investigators turn to the report
From the medical examiner.
Based on the markings around the wound,
He confirms that jerry was shot at a close distance.
[deborah]: The shooter was within 3 feet of the body
When the gun was shot.
And we know that the bullet came from up above,
And went down at an angle through the body,
And went into the chair back behind him.
And he was dead very, very quickly.
He would have bled out in a matter of minutes.
[narrator]: But one crucial finding in the report
Will cast even more doubt on rebecca's version of events.
[deborah]: Looking in that wound and the trajectory of the bulle
It appeared to him that his arms were crossed over his stomach
And the bullet passed through the forearm
As it went into the chest.
And then as the body went slack, his arms fell.
So the medical examiner was able to infer
By putting all of that evidence together
That jerry barker was asleep when he was shot.
[narrator]: Coming up,
Rebecca's story continues to unravel.
It did seem like she had brainwashed him.
She controlled everything that he did.
[narrator]: And a family comes forward
With shocking allegations.
They believed he was in a situation
Where he was in danger.
And so adult protective services stepped in.
[theme music]
[narrator]: Rebecca barker claims
She shot her husband, jerry, during a heated argument
That pushed rebecca to her breaking point.
But the medical examiner's report
Tells a different story.
[deborah]: He's leaned back in his chair,
His feet are up on that ottoman with the ankles crossed.
And then once that bullet goes through him,
And the body relaxes,
He's found with his hands down by his sides, palms up.
[narrator]: The evidence indicates
That jerry was asleep when he was shot.
It almost looked like she waited until that moment
When he would be off guard to take that chance and shoot him.
[deborah]: It looked like
There's not even an argument going on.
She didn't have a self-defense claim.
She didn't have a sudden passion claim.
[narrator]: So why did rebecca barker
Shoot the man she claimed to love?
Determined to get to the bottom of what happened,
Investigators speak with jerry's family.
They are reeling from the news
Of the beloved patriarch's death.
It's not so much when a person dies
But how they die that bothers you the most.
And this was a hard one to accept.
[narrator]: Jerry's family says once he hooked up with rebecca,
The family gave her the benefit of the doubt.
[deborah]: Here's this pretty young woman,
Much younger than him, that's very interested in him.
Uhm, made him happy.
Probably made him feel young again.
And so they tried to be accepting.
[narrator]: But when jerry told his family
He had married rebecca,
They found themselves at odds with jerry's new bride.
[prissy]: I would call jerry.
She would pick up sometimes and she would be like,
"h-he can't come to the phone" or whatever.
[wendy]: When I called, she would say,
"I'll give him the message, he's busy".
He would-he's always busy.
Every situation where I tried to, ya know,
Get to do something, to organize a date,
She would tell me that it wasn't possible.
[prissy]: Rebecca was shutting everybody out.
She was putting distance between everybody.
And jerry didn't see that part of it.
Jerry felt everybody was ganging up on rebecca.
It became strange with the family .
There wasn't that close connection anymore.
I thought the relationship between them
Was gonna be a short-lived thing,
Because she was so much younger and she wasn't a nice person.
[narrator]: As the years passed, things got worse.
[wendy]: She was just not willing to meet
Or do anything with us at all.
She pushed most of the people in the family away
And only a couple were able to go around.
It did seem like she had brainwashed him
Because she controlled everything that he did.
And she controlled everybody he talked to.
[prissy]: Jerry's sons were really upset about it.
You have a wife that's their age and, and they worry about you,
And they don't get to see you as much.
[narrator]: A few months before the murder,
Jerry began to openly question his future with rebecca.
Their relationship clearly wasn't going well.
There was a lot of problems. They were fighting a lot.
As it goes on, and time rocks on, and things get more tense,
Around September, early October, of 2013,
Jerry has started voicing to both rebecca,
And to others in the community,
And to his family that he wants a divorce.
I honestly believe jerry told her he wanted a divorce,
And she was upset.
It was his house,
And he was planning to, to leave her and split with her.
[narrator]: But what really got the attention of
Family and friends was jerry's sudden decline in health.
[nina]: Jerry was on several medications
Because he had had a horrible accident
Not too long before his murder where a tractor had actually
Rolled over him and broke some of his ribs.
Some days he'd be lucid and talking and then,
The next day at the store,
He's basically sitting there catatonic
And drooling on himself, which was completely unlike him.
He seemed to be weak and under the influence of something
That made him unaware of his surroundings for the most part.
That raised a red flag for me.
I had gotten word that she was giving him extra medication,
That it was his own medication.
She was giving him extra to make him be, uh--
To make it to where he wasn't aware.
[deborah]: Jerry had actually made comments to people
In the months leading up to the murder that he believed rebecca
Was trying to kill him by messing with his medication.
[narrator]: When jerry's family confronted rebecca,
She became unhinged.
I told her in one of the phone calls that I'm...
I said, "I'm just gonna go visit".
And she had gotten mad at that phone call and said,
"no, you don't show up on my property".
I'm like, "but it's my grandpa,
I'm gonna show up over there to see him".
And she said, "if you do, I'll shoot you".
[narrator]: Unable to see jerry or reason with rebecca,
His family and friends turned to the authorities.
[deborah]: Multiple reports were made that friends and family
Believed he was in a situation where he was in danger.
And so adult protective services stepped in.
[nina]: They had been called to the store just two weeks before
Jerry's murder on a report that he was over medicated.
But by the time they got there, it seemed like he was fine,
So there wasn't really much they could do.
[narrator]: Jerry was irate.
Even though he had his own suspicions
When it came to rebecca, he made it clear
He didn't want his family or friends
Messing around in his business.
[wendy]: I got a call from him, and he was yelling at me,
And telling me that I had embarrassed him
In front of all of his customers by pulling something like that.
[narrator]: Jerry's loved ones weren't going to let it go.
I had talked with my dad, and we decided that what we would do is
Figure out a way to get my grandpa
And bring him to our place.
That was our plan whether he wanted to or not.
[narrator]: But before they could act on it,
They got the call that jerry was dead.
The information from the barker family
Casts new light on the investigation.
[nina]: So there were a lot of questions within
Rebecca and jerry's relationship.
Rebecca is often saying one thing,
While his family is saying something else.
[narrator]: Investigators theorize
That if rebecca was switching out jerry's meds,
That could have been her first attempt to kill him.
We believed she was trying to kill him through the medication
Because it's harder to trace.
And when that didn't work fast enough, she shot him.
[narrator]: But if rebecca did plan jerry's murder, why?
Of course, we're thinking about financial because,
As we all know, one of the guiding principles
To human behavior, unfortunately, is greed.
[narrator]: If she divorced jerry,
Rebecca would have to share.
But if jerry died, all of it would be hers.
Rebecca stood to gain everything.
She would get the store.
She would get whatever monies were in the bank,
Whatever investments he had, whatever retirement he had.
She would get the home.
[narrator]: Investigators continue to dig,
Taking a deep dive into rebecca's past.
They are shocked to learn that when rebecca and jerry married
In 2002, rebecca was on probation for a major offense.
This wasn't rebecca's first brush with the law.
She had been in trouble almost 20 years before jerry's murder.
I was absolutely incredulous when I found it out.
We were just flabbergasted.
[narrator]: Coming up,
Investigators uncover a disturbing pattern of behavior.
Same story, different situation.
[wendy]: She had previously been in trouble
For trying to kill her husband before him.
[narrator]: And rebecca responds to the allegations.
Jerry's family said a lot of things throughout our marriage
That just weren't true.
[theme music]
[narrator]: While investigators in rusk, texas
Dive deeper into possible motives
For the murder of jerry barker,
They learn that in 1996,
Rebecca barker had been linked to another shooting--
This one involving her first husband, john osborne.
[deborah]: When law enforcement runs a criminal history ,
They find out she had something involving a weapon
And involving a shooting in her past.
When you hear about that, you think
This is a pattern of behavior.
It definitely raises some questions.
[narrator]: Authorities reach out to their counterparts
In liberty county, texas .
They speak with investigator ivan pearce,
Who responded to the 911 call the night john osborne was shot
[ivan]: April 15th of 1996, shortly before midnight,
I got a call of a shooting in the unincorporated portion
Of liberty county.
The victim had been shot several times
While he was sitting in the recliner in his living room.
[narrator]: The caller was rebecca's teenage daughter.
Rebecca has two children from a previous relationship,
A son and a daughter.
The son is out of the home.
Her daughter, marsha, is living in the home,
And is seventeen years old.
Marsha was the one to give the first information
To first responders when they got to the house
And started giving lifesaving measures to john.
[ivan]: She was visibly upset,
Not knowing really what had happened or, or who did it.
[narrator]: To gain more insight on the shooting,
Officers examined the crime scene.
[ivan]: It was from a large caliber.
We could tell that from the projectiles.
There was what appeared to be bullet holes in the window
From behind the recliner.
It appeared that the shooter was right outside of the window.
[narrator]: After unpacking the crime scene,
Investigators focused their efforts on finding out
Who shot john and why.
[ivan]: We learned early on in the investigation
That john and rebecca were getting a divorce.
I spoke with rebecca's brother
He informed me that he had a .45 caliber pistol,
But he could not locate it.
He had understood that rebecca
Was supposed to be coming to liberty with a lawyer
To turn herself in on the case.
[narrator]: Rebecca didn't appear until two days later.
So on April the 18th, at about 10:30 a.M.,
Rebecca osborne did appear at my office.
[narrator]: Rebecca explained that on
The afternoon of the shooting,
John called her with the sole intention of upsetting her.
John and rebecca have been having problems
Mainly related to her drinking.
John has indicated he wants a divorce.
Rebecca called marsha and said,
"would you come and live with me?"
And marsha told her, "no, I'm not gonna live with you.
I wanna live with john".
Well, this set rebecca off.
She shot him, believe two times
Both in the back of the head.
And then, she left.
[narrator]: Rebecca's first husband
Was far luckier than jerry.
[deborah]: Just by the grace of god he survived--
And the quick thinking of his stepdaughter.
[ivan]: I had met with john--
Uh, he was still in the hospital--
And, and informed him that rebecca had confessed
To shooting him.
He was emotional about it his self.
I mean, nobody wants to believe your, your spouse would do that.
[narrator]: But investigator pearce tells detectives
That it wasn't long before john changed his tune.
Rebecca's previous husband seems to kind of feel bad for rebecca,
Doesn't want her to go to jail.
[ivan]: He wanted rebecca to get some help.
His main focus was for her to get some help
For her drinking problem.
[deborah]: When you have a situation like that,
It just makes it very, very difficult for prosecution.
And at that point, the district attorney works out
The best deal that they can.
[ivan]: The judge gave her ten years' probation.
A hundred and eighty days of that
Was locked up in the county jail.
[narrator]: To cherokee county sheriff investigators,
Rebecca's shocking past displays a pattern.
[deborah]: This is how she handles problems.
And it was same story, different situation.
It was, she was being threatened with divorce.
She was going to lose what she believed to be hers.
She thought she was justified in taking a life, and so she did.
I don't understand why somebody would be able to get away with
Something like this the first time.
She shouldn't have been able to start any kind of relationship
With my grandpa, with that being her past.
[narrator]: When detectives circle back to rebecca
With all of this new information,
She begins by denying jerry's family's allegations.
[rebecca]: They never wanted jerry and I to even get married
I don't know if it was because
It was too soon for him to remarry.
All I know is they just didn't like it.
I was not manipulating his medications.
Sometimes jerry would forget what he was taking.
And I think it was too strong.
[narrator]: Rebecca says she never kept jerry
From his family.
It was jerry who didn't want anything to do with them.
[rebecca]: They would call the house and wanna talk to jerry,
And I would say, "babe, so and so's on the phone."
And he'd say, "I don't wanna talk to 'em".
[narrator]: Rebecca also denies threatening to shoot
Jerry's granddaughter, wendy, I she showed up on their property
[rebecca]: That's not true.
I never met the granddaughter.
She wouldn't come to the house.
And I don't understand why jerry's family
Said a lot of things throughout our marriage
That just weren't--that weren't true.
[narrator]: Rebecca claims the trouble in their relationship
Really began when jerry wanted to open a general store.
He said, "I think we could handle a little small
Mom and pop grocery store".
So that--and that's what he wanted.
We never had time for the house anymore.
We never had time for a life anymore.
It was always the store.
A lot a things that started building up between
Not just the tension between jerry and I,
But something changed with jerry.
And I don't know if it were ...
If it was the medication that the doctor kept changing him on,
But he just--he started changin and I didn't know him anymore.
[narrator]: While her rebuttal to the family's accusations
May seem plausible,
After three days of being in police custody,
Rebecca offers a new account of jerry's death
That throws police for a loop.
She sends out a note to detectives that she has
Something very important she needs to tell them.
[narrator]: Coming up, rebecca's story takes a sharp turn.
She says nobody was mad, they'd been getting along.
That it was a big accident.
[narrator]: And rebecca fights for her freedom again.
I got scared, I did.
I said "maybe...Maybe if I tell 'em that, they'll let me go.
I can go home".
[theme music]
[narrator]: After being arrested for her husband's murder,
Rebecca barker requests to speak to the cherokee county
Sheriff's investigators again.
[deborah]: So a few days after rebecca barker has given
Her first statement to law enforcement ,
She's still sitting in jail.
She says, "I have something I have to get off my chest".
She says that jerry is her best friend.
That nobody was angry. Nobody was mad.
They'd been getting along.
That it was a big accident .
[narrator]: Rebecca says they were watching an old western
And drinking heavily
When she began horsing around and took it too far.
She's standing up, playing around with a loaded weapon.
And she said, "hey, look at me, I'm marshal dillon."
And he said, "don't do that. You need to put the gun down."
Well, it startled her, and the gun went off.
[rebecca]: I told 'em, I said, "it was an accident.
We were watching tv and we were playing with the gun".
I got scared, I did.
I said "maybe...Maybe if I tell 'em that they'll let me go.
I can go home, try to make things right".
[narrator]: To investigators, rebecca's accident story
Is far too little, too late.
[rebecca]: I-I don't know.
I just...I snapped.
I didn't plan anything, I just snapped.
And I just went and got the gun and I just shot him.
[narrator]: Rebecca's claims of heavy drinking
Are also quickly ruled out.
[deborah]: In toxicology, in looking at that,
His blood alcohol level was minimalistic at best.
So we know that part's not true
She meant to take this man's life,
And that's exactly what she did
She was charged with first degree murder at that point.
[narrator]: While prosecutors ready their case,
Rebecca spends the next seven months awaiting trial.
On October 8, 2014, rebecca takes a plea.
Rebecca barker actually comes in and pleads guilty
To first degree murder.
So knowing and intentionally causing the death
Of jerry barker is what she tells the judge
She is guilty of.
[narrator]: Despite her willingness
To accept responsibility,
Rebecca elects for a jury trial to determine her punishment.
The reason that I went to trial for sentencing was my, uh,
Attorney said, "the da is offering you forty years."
And I said, "forty years? No way. There's no way."
[narrator]: With a sentencing deal off the table,
In November of 2014, prosecutors come out swinging.
[deborah]: When you look at who rebecca barker is,
At the totality of who she is
And what she's chosen to do in her life,
Rebecca is greedy, she's devious, she's controlling,
She's manipulative, she's underhanded, she's ruthless.
[narrator]: And it's clear that the damning portrait
Was plausible to a jury
When they determine rebecca barker
Should spend the rest of her life behind bars.
They decided that they did not want her walking the streets.
Now, she has the potential after thirty years
To go up for parole. But her chances of getting it,
Even if she's an absolute model prisoner
The first time she's eligible, are slim to none.
[narrator]: For jerry barker's family,
The punishment is as it should be.
[wendy]: I don't want her to be executed.
I want her to live her whole life remembering what she did,
But not freely.
I don't want her to have any kind of freedom.
I want her to be in those walls, and that's the rest of her life.
[rebecca]: Jerry was the love of my life.
I know I was wrong in shooting jerry.
Most of the bad decisions I made were because of alcohol,
And that's the first time I've ever said that.
If his family could forgive me-
I don't know whether they ever can--
But I sit and I... And I...And I think of,
I wish I could say to them I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
I truly am.
[narrator]: Jerry's family only hopes that others can learn fro
His story and intervene before it's too late.
[prissy]: I miss jerry in general.
His life was cut short because of an evil person.
And...But she can't take the memories away.
[music]