Research Paper On Velma Barfield

About Velma Barfield

Velma Bullard, later Velma Barfield, was born on October 29, 1932 to a poor family in South Carolina. Velma’s crime life began early in her childhood at the age seven. She began stealing pocket money from her father to afford small luxuries while at school. At the age of ten , Velma learned how to control talking back to her stern father , and she became a decent baseball player and played on the team her father recognized. Velma learned how to manipulate her father to get what she wanted.

When Velma entered high school, her father took a job in a textile factory and the family moved to Red Springs, SC. Her grades were poor but she proved to be a good basketball player. She also had a boyfriend , Thomas Burke who was

The household became explosive with endless arguments. Velma was consumed in stress, and was hospitalized and treated with sedatives and vitamins. Once she was in her home, she gradually increased her prescription drug use and went to different doctors to get multiple prescriptions of Valium to feed her growing addiction.

Thomas, displaying alcoholic behavior pushed the family deeper into a dysfunctional madness. One day while the kids were at school and Velma went to the laundromat , she returned to find her house on fire and Thomas died from smoke inhalation . Velma’s suffering appeared short after another misfortune continued. A few months after Thomas died another fire broke out this time destroying the home. Later Velma and her children fled to Velma’s parents and waited for the insurance check.

She later began dating Jennings Barfield. Barfield later died in 1971 of heart failure that had been an issue much of his later life. Velma’s mother, Lilllie died in a strange way which later revealed that there was arsenic in her body .