JuJube I wanted to say I’m sorry for your loss. I knew both Barbara and Bretta due to the pending divorce and this tragic ending breaks my heart. Barbara and Bretta were two of the nicest sweetest ladies I have ever met. Barbara was trying to do things right and get away from Charles. The last time we met she said she did not want to be one of those women on the news who got murdered by her husband and those words keep playing in my head. She thought he was going to totally lose it when he initially got served but that didn’t happen. She wanted to try keep things friendly and attempt to negotiate the divorce with him but apparently he was too unstable. I wish things could have turned out differently they didn’t deserve to die like they did. They are now in a better place and I hope they rest in peace.

First off, thanks to everyone for their kind posts.
Altimjn–I’m sorry you’re going through a double loss here. I have never met Bretta’s mom, but I knew she was a wonderful woman based on the things Bretta had said to me about her. Plus Bretta was such a sweetie, you had to know her mother was the one who raised her to be that way. She was closer to her mother than any other person I’ve ever seen.
I think you’re exactly right–Charles didn’t act up the way they feared he would when he was initially served with the divorce paperwork. I know Bretta was worried about it, and when she later told me he packed his things and left (without much of a scene), I was relieved, and I think she was as well. I think his seemingly docile departure sort of made everyone think maybe he wasn’t as dangerous as he was. I’m just sick. I wish I would have told her to keep him away from herself and her mother forever. I’m sure he said a bunch of things about how he didn’t have any money, and maybe Barbara felt that the proceeds from the garage sale would satisfy him and make him go away for good. Bretta probably came over because she found out he was going to be there, and I know there’s no way she would have not been there to support her mother and make sure nothing bad happened.
I’m really heartbroken and I feel bad that I didn’t make a huge deal about how he probably harboring a grudge and that they shouldn’t let him step foot on the property. I think he had this plan in his mind, and I bet they will find out that he had brought the ax with him that day–maybe it was in his truck. I mean, I don’t think he was holding it during their conversation about the divorce, so he must have gone and retrieved it from some place. And he’s completely full of sh*t when he claims to have tried to hang himself. I watched his court appearance over and over again (I DVR’d it), and I see no signs of any injury to his neck (rope burn, bruises, etc) that would indicate he had tried to end his life. He just is trying his hardest to make people feel sorry for him, and to make Barbara and Bretta seem like the ones who were mean, when that wasn’t the case at all. I don’t think he is insane (although I’m sure he’s going to make an attempt to get off using this excuse). . . I just think he’s a selfish, violent bastard who threw a fit because he wasn’t getting his way anymore and took it all out on these two wonderful people.
I would give anything to turn back the clock and make Bretta promise never to go near this man again. But I can’t. This is going to haunt me for the rest of my life.

Rest in peaces Barbara and Bretta.

jujube, my condolences for you and family.

Thanks Zibarro for the nice words–it’s been an insane week.
Oh God, I hope Bretta didn’t crawl to her house from the barn. We were all hoping she wasn’t aware of what happened to her mother–she loved her mother so much, I don’t want to even imagine that she knew that her mother had been murdered by this SOB. But if she did know, she would have done anything to get herself back to help her mother. I just don’t want to think of her suffering, even though I know she and her mother suffered horribly. I guess was hoping this jerk had hit her when she was innocently feeding the horses, and praying that she was completely unaware that he was approaching her–I guess I’m still in my little bubble of denial. I’m sure we’ll find out all the horrific details if/when it goes to trial. All I can say is that this guy is probably going to try to plea insanity, and it makes me sick–he knew what he was doing and he deserves to pay every single second of every single day for it.

Oh, crap… I sure didn’t mean to make it worse for you! It was a speculation… based on the fact she was feeding the horses – but was found by the back door. I’m sure she didn’t know for sure her mother was dead – but she probably suspected as much. She was probably only thinking of saving her mother. I base that on your description of her… just seemed logical that she would be concerned for her mother.

I agree he DOES deserve to suffer daily. This was not an ‘insane’ act — it was a planned, premeditated act of heartless, brutal murder!

I am a nurse who works in the psychiatric field and I can tell you from experience that anxiety and depression do not lead to killing your family with an ax (now schizophrenia and other disorders, left untreated, could). This man is just using excuses because he is a violent, angry man who couldn’t bear to see his wife leave and put him out on his ass.

Agree. fucking asshole!

So sorry jujube, may you find comfort in your friends and family. I will say a pray for you!

I just wanted to say a few things in honor of Bretta. She was my friend, and she was a wonderful and beautiful human being. She was a person you could tell anything to, and she would never judge you, nor would she gossip about it to other people. She had such a great spirit–she loved every holiday, she believed in the goodness of people, and her goal in life seemed to be to do whatever it takes to make a person feel like they mattered. She never complained and she always had the best outlook on life, even in situations where the average person would gripe or complain.
She loved her mother dearly. She loved her pets, and she loved taking care of the horses and other animals at her mom’s place. She believed in love, hope and peace.
I wish she was still here. I guess all I can do is learn from her example and try to be half as good of a person as she was in her honor.
May Bretta rest in peace with her beloved mother.
She was too good for this world.
I love you Bretta!!!

I am so sorry for your loss. Bretta sounds like she was such a wonderful person! From the description, it sounds as if she crawled from the barn to the house to check on her mother. So very sad.
I hope you find peace somehow.

I wish pain and suffering on Charles for the rest of his pathetic life. His actions were selfish, callous and despicable. No mercy. No more than he showed Barbara and Bretta.

RIP

I am a nurse who works in the psychiatric field and I can tell you from experience that anxiety and depression do not lead to killing your family with an ax (now schizophrenia and other disorders, left untreated, could). This man is just using excuses because he is a violent, angry man who couldn’t bear to see his wife leave and put him out on his ass.

Rot in hell, you sick SOB!!!
May God hold Barbara and her daughter in his arms forever.