Charles Barr
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"The Black Panther"
Charles Barr | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1903 Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Died | August 20, 1926 (aged 22–23) Tennessee State Prison, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Other names | "The Petting Party Bandit" "The Black Panther" |
Criminal status | Executed by electrocution |
| Conviction | First degree murder |
| Criminal penalty | Death |
| Details | |
| Victims | 3 |
Span of crimes | January – May 1923 |
| Country | United States |
| State | Tennessee |
Date apprehended | July 1924 |
Charles Barr (1903 – August 20, 1926), known as The Petting Party Bandit, was an American serial killer who attacked couples at lovers' lanes in Memphis, Tennessee, from January to May 1923, killing three and wounding one. For his crimes, he was convicted, sentenced to death and subsequently executed at the Tennessee State Prison in 1926.[1]
Little is known about Barr's early life. He was born in Memphis in 1903, the only son of a Baptist minister.[1] As an adult, he married a woman named Luada and the couple lived happily in the city, with Charles working as a chauffeur and house servant for the Van Fossan family, where he was treated decently and regarded as an honest worker.[2] Despite his reputation, Barr wished for a more lavish lifestyle, believing the quickest way to do so was to turn to robberies.
Murders
On January 27, 1923, Barr borrowed a car from a friend and drove to an isolated road near Memphis, which was known as a local lovers' lane. There, he came across 19-year-old salesman Duncan Waller from Mayfield, Kentucky, and his mistress, Ruth McElwaine Tucker of Bowling Green.[3] He parked the car near them and approached them on foot, and upon reaching the automobile, he pulled out a .25 caliber pistol and shot Waller, killing him instantly. Frightened, Tucker leaped out of the car and sprinted towards a nearby field, but Barr caught up with her, raped her and then shot her as well.[4] After killing her, he stole the woman's jewelry and valuables before returning to the car and doing the same to Waller, and then fleeing the area. Their bodies were later discovered by a milkman doing his daily routine. Despite the police's and local citizen's detective agencies attempts to solve the case, nobody was arrested for the crime at the time.[4]
Four months later, on May 29, Barr again borrowed the car and went to the same spot, where he found 27-year-old grocery store executive W. Obe Spencer and his date, schoolteacher Laura Wheaton Johnson, were talking to one another in the car. Barr again stealthily approached them, but was seen by Johnson, who began screaming. The assailant then immediately shot and killed Spencer, before proceeding to also shoot Johnson, who survived. Seeing that she was still alive, he took her hostage and forced her to give up her jewellery, planning to kill her in another secluded area.[4] However, Johnson leapt out of the moving car and ran to the nearest house, explaining to the homeowner what had just happened. Alarmed, he brought her to the police station, where she reiterated what had happened, but was unable to provide an accurate description of the attacker.