Mark Orrin Barton was a spree killer from Stockbridge, Georgia, who killed 12 people and injured 13 more on July 29, 1999. The murders occurred at Barton's home as well as at two Atlantaday trading firms that had employed him previously as a day trader, Momentum Securities and the All-Tech Investment Group. It is believed that Barton was motivated by large financial losses during the previous two months. Barton died by his own hand before he could be apprehended by police. Police searching Barton's home found that his second wife, Leigh Ann Vandiver Barton, together with the two children from his first marriage, Matthew David Barton and Mychelle Elizabeth Barton, had been murdered by hammer blows before the shooting spree started. The slain children were placed in bed as if asleep. According to a note left at the scene by Barton, his wife was killed on July 27 before the children were on the following day. Before the massacre, Barton was a suspect in the 1993 beating deaths of his first wife Debra Spivey and her mother Eloise Spivey in Cherokee County, Alabama; however, he was never charged for their murders and always denied having had any part in them, including in the note he left behind with the bodies of his children and his second wife. Notwithstanding his denials, authorities still consider Barton a suspect in the 1993 murders.
Background
Barton was born on April 2, 1955, in Stockbridge, Georgia, to an Air Force family and was raised in South Carolina. Barton attended Clemson University and the University of South Carolina, where he earned a degree in chemistry despite an ongoing drug habit. Back in Atlanta, he married Debra Spivey, with whom he had two children named Matthew and Mychelle. The family moved to Alabama as Barton's employer required him there. Barton grew paranoid and started distrusting his own wife. He lost his employment after his performance plummeted. He was also caught sabotaging data of the company that had fired him and served a short jail term for this retaliatory act. Barton found a new employer in Georgia and a mistress in one of his wife's acquaintances, Leigh Ann Vandiver, with whom he had an affair. In 1993, Spivey and her mother Eloise were killed by bludgeoning. Barton was the prime suspect in the double-murder, but was not charged due to the lack of evidence. Barton made Leigh Ann his wife in 1995. His mental health continued to deteriorate, however, and he began to suffer from both severe depression and paranoid delusions. Barton had received a $294,000 insurance settlement from his first wife's death and used the funds to finance his day trading career, preferring high risk Internet-related stocks. In the month prior to his killing spree, Barton had lost $105,000, and Momentum Securities had cancelled his account.
Killing spree
On July 27, 1999, Barton woke up early in the morning and bludgeoned Leigh Ann to death as she slept. The next night, he also beat his children Matthew and Mychelle to death. He covered them with blankets and left notes on their bodies, reading in part:
I killed Leigh Ann because she was one of the main reasons for my demise.... I know that Jehovah will take care of all of them in the next life. I'm sure the details don't matter. There is no excuse, no good reason I am sure no one will understand. If they could I wouldn't want them to. I just write these things to say why. Please know that I love Leigh Ann, Matthew and Mychelle with all my heart. If Jehovah's willing I would like to see them all again in the resurrection to have a second chance. I don't plan to live very much longer, just long enough to kill as many of the people that greedily sought my destruction.
On July 29, he went to the offices of his former employer, Momentum Securities. Witnesses say that Barton briefly chatted with coworkers before suddenly pulling out two pistols and opening fire. He shot and killed four people and attempted to execute Brad Schoemehl, who was shot three times at point-blank range. Barton then walked to the nearby All-Tech Investment Group building and murdered an additional five victims. Barton left the scene before police could arrive. The police searched his house and found the bodies of his family and the notes that he had left with them, in which Barton vehemently denied responsibility for the deaths of his first wife and mother-in-law. An intensive manhunt ensued. Four hours after the All-Tech Investment Group shooting, Barton accosted and threatened a young girl in Kennesaw, apparently attempting to secure a hostage for his escape. The young girl escaped and called police. Responding police officers spotted Barton in his minivan and a chase ensued, culminating at a gas station in Acworth. As law enforcement attempted to apprehend him, Barton shot and killed himself. On July 29, 2009, Atlanta, GA marked the 10th anniversary of the tragedy.
