On this date, May 19, 2011, Jason
Oric Williams was executed by lethal injection in Alabama for the shooting
spree of four people on February 15, 1992. The brother of one of the victims,
Louie Barber was satisfied with the execution.
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Louie Barber
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Summary: After a night of bar
hopping and injesting crack cocaine, LSD, and alcohol, at 6:00 a.m. Williams
returned to the Paravicini trailer in Irvington where he had been temporarily
living with the family. After talking to his estranged wife on the phone,
Williams grabbed a .22-caliber rifle and shot Gerald Paravicini. He then beat
Paravicini's wife with the gun and shot her 16-year-old son in the face. He
then walked to a neighbor's house about 200 yards away and gunned down Linda
Barber, who was getting ready for work at the U.S. Postal Service, and Freddie
Barber, who was drinking coffee in the kitchen. He walked into a bedroom and
shot the couple's 22-year-old son Bryan as he slept. A younger brother,
16-year-old Brad, was shot in the hand before he ran away. Williams stole the
family van, cash and credit cards and fled the scene. He was apprehended in
Mississippi, telling law enforcement that he had thrown the rifle over a bridge
and that he did not remember the shootings.
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Jason Oric Williams
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Jason
Oric Williams was adopted by his aunt and uncle at infancy. His aunt and uncle
did not disclose to Williams that they were not his biological parents.
Williams grew up in poverty, performed poorly academically, and felt he was
snubbed by his family and peers. When Williams turned seventeen years old, he
attempted to obtain identification documents so that he could work. During this
process, Williams learned that he was adopted. This news devastated Williams,
and he began experimenting with alcohol and drugs such as LSD, crack,
marijuana, ecstacy, and prescription medications.
In
1990, Williams married Sandra Ellzey. Williams and Ellzey remained married for
about ten months, divorcing in 1991. On a few occasions, Williams slapped
Ellzey in the face, pulled her hair, and broke her glasses. Williams, however,
continued to live with Ellzey after they were divorced. In January 1992, Ellzey
discovered needles for drug use in her home, and learned that Williams had been
taking her tranquilizers. Ellzey then asked Williams to leave.
When
Ellzey forced Williams to move out, Gerald and Clair Paravicini, who had known
Williams for about eight years, allowed Williams to move into their home with
them and Clair’s minor son, Jeffery Carr. Williams resided in the Paravicini
home for approximately two weeks. Shortly after moving in with the Paravicinis,
Ellzey and Williams agreed to re-unite and move in together.
On
February 14, 1992, they arranged a date. The couple went to a club and had a
few drinks. Afterwards, they bought sandwiches at a deli. By 11:00 p.m., Ellzey
was ready to return home. However, Williams was not, and he asked Ellzey to drop
him off at another club. Ellzey advised Williams to call her when he was ready
to leave the club so that she could give him a ride home. At the club, Williams
purchased LSD, and prescription drugs, and he drank a large amount of liquor.
Rather than call Ellzey to pick him up as they had agreed, Williams met with
some friends, and they drove to a drug-house to smoke crack cocaine together
all night.
Early
the next morning, Williams’ friend dropped him off at a corner store. Williams
then walked about a half-mile back to the Paravicinis’ trailer home. On
February 15, at approximately 6:00 a.m., Williams arrived at the Paravicinis’
home, and he knocked, either on Jeffery’s window or on the side of the trailer
that corresponded with Jeffery’s room. Jeffery let him in and asked him about
his plans for the day. Williams told Jeffery that he had a “side job” to do.
Jeffery thought that Williams seemed normal and did not appear to be drunk
because he was neither tilting his head nor slurring his speech.
Williams
then called Ellzey on a cordless telephone. Ellzey was upset with Williams
because she had wanted him to return to her house and because they had planned
for her to come and pick him up from the bar. Ellzey, who had observed Williams
inebriated many times in the past, did not believe that Williams was
intoxicated. According to Williams’ statement to law enforcement officials on
February 16, 1992, the day after the murders, he had a few drinks with Ellzey
and then drank liquor all night at the club. While at the club, he bought two
round, yellow pills from someone named Teddy. He did not know whether the pills
were ecstacy or LSD, but believed that they were LSD. On February 15, he
believes that he took the pills between 3:00 and 5:00 a.m.
Jeffery
watched Williams pacing while he talked to Ellzey. While still on the phone
with Ellzey, Williams walked into the Paravicinis’ bedroom, where Clair was in
bed, and retrieved a .22-caliber automatic rifle. While still on the phone with
Ellzey, Williams shot Jeffery in the face and in the hand. When Gerald came to
Jeffery’s aid, Williams shot Gerald in the base of the left neck and in the
upper left chest area. Jeffery ran to a neighbor’s house to get help. Gerald
also ran out of the home. Clair came out of the bedroom when she heard the
second gunshot. She saw Jeffery running away and Gerald in the yard. Her
husband told her to get help. Clair ran to George Evans’ house next door. She
then ran back to her husband, who fell by the road. Evans followed Clair,
holding a shotgun. He looked to his right and saw Williams standing in the
doorway of the trailer, with no more than 100 feet of open ground between them,
with the rifle in his hand. George Evans brought up his shotgun and aimed at
Williams, warning Williams not to shoot. Williams ducked back into the trailer,
and Evans ran back to his trailer.
Meanwhile,
Ellzey remained on the telephone. She heard two cracking, popping noises. When
Williams picked the phone back up again, she started to say his name. Williams
dropped the phone without saying anything. Clair found that she could not get
Gerald to stand. She went back into the trailer to find something to stop
Gerald’s bleeding and for her car keys. There, she found Williams, who waved
the rifle at her and told her to get back and leave him alone, or else he
intended to kill her. Clair replied that Gerald was hurt. She asked Williams to
please help her with him. Williams then struck her in the face with the rifle,
breaking her jaw. He left with the rifle and her purse, which contained her
credit cards, a checkbook, and over $500 cash.
Meanwhile,
Buford Billedeaua was driving a truck past the Paravicinis’ trailer. He saw
Jeffery and Gerald run out of the trailer. He then saw Williams follow them,
holding a large black purse. When Williams took a shot at Gerald, Billedeaua
stopped his truck. Williams then approached Billedeaua, telling him that he
needed the truck because he had an emergency. Billedeaua noted that Williams
looked as though he had been taking dope. Billedeaua got out of the truck with
his keys and began to run into the woods. Williams then began shooting at
Billedeaua, who avoided being shot.
Unable
to flee in Billedeaua’s truck without the keys, Williams turned and walked 100
yards up the road to the home of Linda and Freddie Barber. Williams was barely
acquainted with the Barbers, having only played basketball with their sons,
Brad and Bryan, at their church on a couple of occasions. Williams attempted to
enter the Barbers’ home. Linda Barber was getting ready for work at the US
Postal Service and answered the front door. Williams inflicted gunshot wounds
to her head. Williams then went into the kitchen where Freddie Barber was
drinking coffee and also shot him in the head. Next, Williams shot their son,
Bryan, who was asleep in his bed. It was later discovered that Bryan had
multiple gunshot wounds, at least two of which were found in his head. Each
victim was shot at close range.
Brad
was asleep in the back bedroom. He awoke to the sound of gunshots and
screaming. Brad got up and opened his door. Williams then proceeded down the
hall to Brad’s room. Brad closed and locked his door, but Williams kicked it
in. When Brad grabbed the barrel of the gun, Williams shot him in the left
hand. The two struggled, but Brad managed to escape through the backdoor, and
ran through the woods to his sister’s house. Williams took the Barbers’ keys
and took their van.
On
the afternoon of February 16, he reached the Mississippi-Louisiana border and
called Ellzey, who advised him to surrender. When Williams was apprehended, he
told the law enforcement officers that he had thrown the rifle off an unknown
bridge into the water. He had also disposed of Freddie Barber’s wallet, after
taking all the money it contained. Williams spent the money he stole from the
Barbers and Clair Paravicini on crack cocaine after leaving the crime scene.
On
April 12, 1992, Williams was indicted on two counts of capital murder. Williams
was also charged with and convicted of attempted murder on the lives of Clair
Paravicini and Brad Barber. During the trial on November 10, 1992, Williams
testified that he did not remember all the events of February 14 and 15, 1992.
Williams testified that he had a few beers with Ellzey, and then drank a
“pretty good bit” of beer after she dropped him off at another club. At the
club, he purchased three hits of LSD for seven dollars ($7) each from someone
he did not know and remembered taking two of them. Williams testified that he
did not remember killing anyone. He only recalls that he went into the
bathroom, and that he began to feel very scared. He said that he saw the walls
move, and he saw a larger-than-life apparition walking towards him that made
him fear for his life. Regarding the day of the killings, Williams further
testified that he began flipping out even before he called Ellzey, and that he
tried to disguise his drug use from her to keep her from getting angry with
him. He testified that he did not remember anything that occurred between the
time that he dialed her number and when he found himself driving a van in
Mississippi a day later.
However,
Williams did not mention seeing the apparition to the Mississippi or Alabama
law enforcement officers with whom he spoke on February 16. Williams did tell
the officers that he did not remember killing anyone the night before. Williams
said that he remembered seeing blood on his pants and throwing the rifle in the
water near the bridge. Dr. Claude L. Brown, a psychiatrist, met with Williams
in August 1992. At trial, Dr. Brown testified for the defense. His testimony
was based on his meetings with Williams. He diagnosed Williams with borderline
personality disorder (“BPD”), which he testified is a mental disorder
characterized by inner emptiness, dissatisfaction, and impulsive actions
undertaken in an effort to feel better, such as suicide attempts. Persons with
BPD have limited, but intense, fluctuating relationships. He testified that
individuals with BPD can be thrown into psychotic behavior by increases in anxiety
from any source. Dr. Brown testified that Williams’ BPD dated to his childhood
and was unrelated to his use of drugs before the murders. Dr. Brown also
testified that LSD is, per weight, the most psychogenic drug in the world. He
testified that LSD causes frightening distortions and detachment from
reality—i.e., psychosis. Furthermore, using alcohol and cocaine with LSD
exaggerates these responses. Dr. Brown opined that Williams was psychotic at
the time of the killings. He further opined that Williams was suffering from a
mental disease or defect that rendered him unable to appreciate the nature and
quality or wrongfulness of his acts. He opined that this destructive psychosis
resulted from a combination of his preexisting personality structure acted upon
by the heavy overload of drugs that he had been taking all night. Lastly, he
opined that Williams’ BPD in and of itself probably did not trigger his conduct
and that, had Williams been sober, the murders probably would not have
occurred.
Dr.
Harry McClaren, a psychologist, testified for the State. He also diagnosed
Williams with BPD, as well as with anti-social personality disorder and
substance abuse. Dr. McClaren testified that, given Williams’ account of his
drug and alcohol ingestion, he was very intoxicated at the time of the
killings. He testified that psychosis resulting from LSD can last from eight to
twelve hours and that Williams’ amnesia was probably chemically induced. He
also testified that when some individuals are highly intoxicated from hallucinogenic
drugs, they may display some symptoms of psychosis.
Dr.
McClaren testified to meeting Williams in August and September 1992. During
those sessions, Williams recounted the events of the night before the killings.
Dr. McClaren testified that Williams told him that he had a few drinks with
Ellzey. After she dropped him off at the club, he bought three hits of LSD. He
also ingested a long, purple tablet, and drank whiskey over the course of the
evening. He also told Dr. McClaren that he went to a house on Dixon’s Corner
where, in two trips, he bought crack. He remembered arguing with Ellzey on the
phone and that he then began to flip out and feel frightened. He claimed that
he heard someone holler his name and felt like everyone was against him. He told
Dr. McClaren that he thought the only way out was to shoot his way out.
Williams
claimed again that he had no other memories before he found himself driving the
van in Mississippi. Dr. McClaren testified that when someone has taken LSD, he
or she may see distortions of things that are there. In contrast to Dr. Brown,
Dr. McClaren opined that, because Williams deliberately shot each victim twice
in or near the head, Williams was able to appreciate the wrongfulness of his
acts. Dr. McClaren further opined that, because Williams had no significant
psychiatric history other than attempted suicide, he knew the wrongfulness of
his acts. Dr. McClaren testified that since the drugs and alcohol exacerbated
Williams’ BPD, without the intoxication, Williams probably would not have
killed Gerald Paravicini or Linda, Freddie, and Bryan Barber.
At
trial, other witnesses testified that they thought Williams had taken drugs.
Gregory Rockwell testified that he worked the door at the club. He saw Williams
arrive at around 11:30 p.m. and leave around 1:00 a.m. Williams returned within
an hour appearing disheveled, sweating profusely, jumping, and dancing around.
Rockwell thought that Williams appeared as though he were tripping on LSD.
Kelso Stewart testified that Williams asked him if he knew where some LSD or
crack cocaine could be located. Stewart left the bar between 3:00 a.m. and 4:00
a.m., and when he returned, he found Williams disheveled, sweaty, and hyper.
On
November 11, 1992, the jury returned a guilty verdict on one count of
intentional murder during the course of a robbery for the deaths of Freddie
Barber and Linda Barber. The jury also returned a guilty verdict for the
capital offense of intentional murder for the deaths of Gerald Paravicini,
Freddie Barber, Linda Barber, and Bryan Barber. The jury recommended, by a 10–2
vote, that a death sentence be imposed for the murder convictions.
On
December 1, 1992, the State trial court sentenced Williams to a punishment of
death.
UPDATE:
Prior to his execution, Jason Williams said, "I hope that the families of
the victims forgive me for what I've done." Ten family members of the four
victims witnessed the execution. One of the witnesses was a survivor of the
shooting rampage. The older brother of victim Freddie Barber said that his
family has suffered for the past two decades sine the murders. He said Brad
Barber, who was 16 years old at the time, still has nightmares about the
massacre. "I never did think I'd live to see this day, but I did and I
thank the good Lord for it," said Louie Barber, now 75. "We're going
to try to put it behind us and go on with our lives. You don't never really
want to see somebody die, but I think justice was served."
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Jason Oric Williams
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QUOTE 1:
“Ill be 75 years old in a few months and I never did think I would live to see
this day, but I did, and I thank that good Lord for it.”
QUOTE 2: For Louie
Barber, watching this execution was closure.
"I feel now
that my brother and his wife and his son can rest in peace,” said
Barber.
AUTHOR: Louie Barber is the brother of
Freddie Barber. Freddie was the third person Williams killed on his 1992
shooting spree on 15 February 1992. Jason Oric Williams was executed by lethal
injection in Alabama on 19 May 2011.
CHECK
THIS VIDEO TO HEAR FROM LOUIS BARBER:
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