Charles Barr

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.

Early life Little is known about Barr's early life. He was born in Memphis in 1903, the only son of a Baptist minister. 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. 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. 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.

The prosecutors announced that they would seek a death sentence for Barr, who refused to hire an attorney. As a result, public defenders Grover McCormick and his assistant Floyd Creasy were hired to represent him. While the trial was going on, it was suggested by some media outlets that Barr might have been responsible for two similar attacks that had occurred in the Memphis area: the October 27, 1922, attack on policeman Aubrey Thomas and his date Zelda Foster, in which the former was killed and the latter survived; and the January 1923 attack on DeWitt Sink and his fiancée Thelma Cunningham, in which Cunningham was severely wounded and had to be treated in hospital for several weeks.

Barr was only tried for killing Spencer. The trial was adjourned on October 23, due to the fact that Justice J. Edd Richards fell ill. As it resumed, the defense contended that Barr's confession should not be considered credible, as it was allegedly obtained under duress, a claim denied by the police department. On October 28, Barr was found guilty of first degree murder, and on November 6, he was sentenced to death.