Just think about this: this woman is up for parole in 2006

books:


	• Before He Wakes: A True Story of Money, Marriage, Sex and Murder Jerry Bledsoe Onyx, 1996 - 445 pages average customer review:based on 25 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Another Black Widow Escapes Death Penalty

Barbara Terry Ford Stager can take care of herself. When her first husband, Larry Ford, and father of her two sons, Bryan and Jason, got int he way of her affairs and manic spending, she shot him the chest as he slept. The end result: she was able to claim insurance funds when political disputes resulted in Ford's death being declared "an accident."

Forward a few husband-hunting months later, Barbara marries Russ Stager. It doesn't take long for her adultry and spending habits to surface. While a spender himself, Russ Stager has enough sense to realize when he's in over his head and attempts to, with the help of his parents, curtail their financially frivilous lifestyle; but, as is expected, this doesn't stop Barbara from spending freely and living the high life.

But when Russ discovers that his wife is even willing to steal from his personal accounts, something has to be done. And once again Barbara is widowed from an "accidental shooting" that she claims occured when she accidentally fired a pistol under Russ' pillow, shooting him in the back of the head while he slept.

I don't believe in coincidences and neither did the Durham County law enforcement officials who investigated this case. At first response, they believed Barbara's story but when Russ Stager's ex wife, JoAnn Snow, brings to light the circumstances surrounding the death of Barbara's first husband, the Stagers' financial dillema, and conversations between her and Russ, detectives derive a new theory on why Russ Stager died.

Barbara is arrested this time for murdering her husband, much to the relief of Stagers' parents and Larry Ford's parents, who have longed for justice for their slain son. In true sociopathic form, however, Barbara truly believes that a jury will not find her guilty of murdering Russ because , she just isn't capable of such an act.

Yet the jury does believe she is indeed capable and finds her guilty of First Degree Murder; a capital offense. Subsequently, they declare the penalty of death. With a bit of legal wrangling this sentence is converted to life in prison on appeal. As we all know, however, life in prison does not necessarily mean "life" and Barbara is eligible for parole in 2006.

I found this book to be extremely well written and thoroughly researched. Unfortunately, I had watched the Lifetime television movie about this story before reading this book. The book greatly outdoes the movie. The movie freely used creative licensing to fictionalize a lot of details. So be sure to read the book first!

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Just think about this: this woman is up for parole in 2006

I read this wonderful book a few years ago and it was truly riveting. i saw the movie this morning and at the end of the movie, which i think was made in the early 90's, that Barbara will be up for parole in 2006- how in the heck did she avoid life in prison without parole?

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Good Read

Barbara Stager got away with killing her first husband, even though there were those (including her in-laws) who suspected the shooting was not accidental. When she shot her second husband, Russ Stager, while he slept, there were too many people who suspected her, and who knew Russ had feared what Barbara might do to him.

I also agree with another reviewer that Barbara is evil for how she brain-washed her two young sons against their paternal grandparents. Not only did she murder their father, she wanted to deprive his parents access to their biological grandchildren. The fact that the Fords handled it as well as they did shows what truly decent, moral people they were/are.

Barbara was originally given a death sentence - and rightly so. Later, she was re-sentenced to life by a new jury. A woman who could plan and commit the murder of two husbands should never see the light of day again. Because she was given a new sentence of life, she will be eligible for parole.

I wish I could give this book 4.5 stars. The only reason I don't give it 5 stars is that I feel the book got bogged down in one small section after Barbara's arrest, and during her trial for killing her second husband, Russ Stager. Its the part about Barbara's creative check writing, hot checks, forged checks, etc. Other than that, I give the book 5 stars.

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She's Very Sorry That She Was Convicted

Good true crime book about a female psychopath. In order to get spending money and get rid of pesky husbands, Barbara killed them in their sleep for their insurance benefits. This book was well-written, descriptive, and in depth. Barbara was apparently an amazing employee and spotless housekeeper, she just couldn't stop competing with the Joneses or stop cheating on her husbands. There was something going on with the relationship with her mother that just wasn't quite right - of course her mother always stuck up for her just like Pat's mother in "Everything She Wanted", by Ann Rule. It's amazing how similar these psychopaths are when you've read as many of these books as I have.

I keep remembering how one of her former friends saw her driving around in her convertible, a big grin on her face, just out enjoying herself, right after her second husband's death (before she was arrested). I wonder if her two boys ever realized that she deliberately lied about and kept them from seeing their paternal grandparents. In my opinion, the death penalty should have been carried out on Barbara. She is breathing up other people's air.

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For the Love of Money

"Before He Wakes" is a frightening tale of sleeping with a monster and a bit of a cautionary tale.
Barbara Stager - - devoted wife, loving mother, churchgoer, obedient daughter or cold blooded murderer? If you believe this book, not to mention the State of North Carolina and good, basic common sense, she is nothing more than a cold blooded murderer, masquerading as the devoted wife, loving mother, churchgoer and obedient daughter.
This book is an in-depth profile of a female sociopath. There are many true crime books on the market disecting the male sociopath but female sociopaths are more fascinating, perhaps, because there are fewer of them.
Jerry Bledsoe's writing is strong, the story is too bizare for fiction and the characters come to life.
In reading this tale, my heart bleeds for both Larry Ford's and Russ Stager's families, just as much victims of Barbara's as her husbands were. So self-absorbed, indulged and without conscience was she that she thought nothing of putting bullets in her husbands' sleeping bodies so that she might collect the insurance money. Pure evil.
Definitely a good read - - and will make you think twice about the person you sleep next to!

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Recounts the case of Barbara Stager, a seemingly devoted wife and community member whose murder of her husband was nearly ruled an accident until chilling evidence, including the death of her first husband, revealed Stager's secret double life. Reprint.

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