The "Barr Murders"

Murder in the Afternoon felon dies in prison

FARMINGTON -- A man convicted of murdering a 17-year-old girl and an owner of a country store in Quaker 42 years ago has died.

According to the Missouri Department of Corrections, Farmington Correctional Center inmate John Crump was pronounced dead at 6:18 p.m. Saturday at Parkland Health Center.

Crump, 62, was serving two life sentences for murder in the first degree from Jefferson County and four years for escape. He was received in the Missouri Department of Corrections on Nov. 20, 1959.

Crump died of apparent natural causes, officials said. An autopsy will be performed to determine the exact cause of death. Crump and a young associate entered Barr Store at Quaker to rob it. They fatally shot the owner, George L. (Lynn) Barr, in the back of the head with a shotgun. They then went to Barr's nearby home where they bludgeoned 17-year-old Bobbie Lou Shipp to death with the stock of the gun. Crump also seriously wounded Barr's wife, Valle, by shooting her in the shoulder. [Hazel Valle (Hutchings) Barr passed away Nov. 28, 2003 - ed.] Barr's 16-year-old daughter, Ella Jo (Barr) Sadler, was so severely beaten by Crump that she suffered massive skull fractures. She was in a coma for three weeks.

Crump pleaded guilty to two murder charges and two charges of first-degree assault in connection with the case. He was given consecutive life sentences for the murders and consecutive 75-year sentences for the assaults. He has been coming up for parole regularly for about the last 10 years, the last time being Dec. 16.

The other young man who was involved in the murders was given lesser sentences and has since been released from prison. Authorities indicated it was Crump who was primarily responsible for the violent attacks and the other man was his accomplice.

Supposedly, the motive for the murders and assaults was to steal the Barr family's car.

Sadler recounted the horrifying events of that summer day in a book she wrote, "Murder in the Afternoon." It was published in 1975. Though now out of print, it can be found in most local public libraries and is also still available through Amazon.com on the Internet.

Death of double murderer brings family some closure

The death Saturday of 62-year-old double-murderer John Ross Crump was not a cause for rejoicing by those whose lives he tore apart 43 years ago, but it did bring some degree of closure.

Rosemary Elliott of Potosi, one of three surviving daughters of George L. Barr, said the news of Crump's death "is a closure to some extent," but it also reopened the wounds the family suffers each time they recall what happened.

She said her family will never be able to forget what occurred. That will be with them so long as they live. But at least now, the concern that Crump will ever be back out of prison is gone.

Crump, then 19, and a 14-year-old companion went to Barr's Store at Quaker in southern Washington County on Sept. 15, 1959, to steal a car. In the process, Crump fatally shot George L. Barr. He critically wounded Barr's wife by shooting her. He then beat Bobbie Lou Shipp to death with the gun after he ran out of ammunition. At the same time, he critically injured Ella Jo Barr by beating her.

A newspaper account of the incident said Crump shot Mr. Barr in the back of the head with a shotgun while the store owner was making a sandwich Crump had ordered. When they failed to get the car keys at the store, they went to the Barr home next door. When Mrs. Barr tried to run out a back door, she was shot in the shoulder by Crump. The two teen-aged girls were forced to lie on the floor and were savagely beaten.

The two then fled on foot but were caught not far from the store by two residents of the community. After a shot was fired over their heads, the two surrendered without resistance.

Crump pleaded guilty to two counts of murder and two counts of armed assault. He was given two life sentences and two 75-year sentences, all to run consecutive to each other. His companion, John Edward Davis, was given 40 years in prison for his role in the crimes and was paroled after serving 10 years.

"Now there are no more fears of having to go to Farmington for parole hearings," Elliott said.

Elliott and her two sisters, Sue Jarvis and Ella Jo (Barr) Sadler, have made the trek to the Farmington Correctional Center every two years for about two decades to oppose Crump's release on parole. Each and every time they went was a traumatic experience, the sisters have said.

According to Elliott, their main goal was to keep Crump in prison as long as her mother was alive. Valle Barr, now 95, still lives on the same farm in southern Washington County.[Hazel Valle (Hutchings) Barr passed away Nov. 28, 2003 - ed.]

"We never wished he would get the death penalty, despite how horrendous the crime was," Elliott said. She pointed out the state did not have the "life without parole" sentence at the time those murders occurred.

"He may have suffered more serving 43 years in prison," Elliott suggested of Crump.

It was only about three weeks ago that the family made its last trip to Farmington for Crump's latest hearing before the Parole Board. They went with petitions bearing thousands of signatures of people, both local and from across the nation, who opposed the convicted murderer's release.

If the Parole Board had made a decision on Crump's latest request for release, Elliott said, it had not been announced. The parole hearings had been held every two years since he became eligible for parole, but a change in procedure would have meant there would not be another hearing for five years.

Crump, who was being held at Farmington Correctional Center, was pronounced dead at Parkland Health Center at 6:18 p.m. Saturday. It appeared he died of natural causes, corrections officials said, but an autopsy will be conducted.

Elliott said she appreciated the fact that a local parole officer called and notified her of Crump's death before she heard about it through the media. She was also then notified by a relative, Ryan McClain, who is news director for radio stations KREI and KTJJ in Farmington.

Sadler said two years ago she still suffers from effects of the injuries she sustained more than 40 years ago, but the greatest suffering has been the mental anguish she and her family has endured.

Sixteen years after the horrifying ordeal, Sadler's book depicting the bloody day was published. Titled "Murder in the Afternoon," the book is now out of print but is available through most libraries and can still be found through the Internet.

Family members attempt to block murderer's parole
BY LEROY SIGMAN\Daily Journal Staff Writer

A former Washington County resident whose family was terrorized 42 years ago, leaving her father and sister dead, is once more leading the effort to block the early release of one of her attackers. John Ross Crump comes up for parole again Tuesday at Farmington Correctional Center.

Ella Jo Sadler said, "Thousands of concerned citizens across the state and nation have petitioned the parole board to deny John Crump's request."

Sadler and other family members will present additional petitions when the parole board conduct's a hearing Tuesday afternoon on Crump's request. It has repeatedly denied earlier requests from Crump after family and friends of the victims expressed staunch opposition.

"Each time, it's been a terrible ordeal," Sadler said of her appearance before the parole board, "like being battered all over again."

Crump and a young associate entered Barr Store at Quaker to rob it. They fatally shot the owner, George L. (Lynn) Barr, in the back of the head with a shotgun. They then went to Barr's nearby home where they bludgeoned 17-year-old Bobbie Lou Shipp to death with the stock of the gun. Crump also seriously wounded Barr's wife, Valle, by shooting her in the shoulder. Barr's youngest daughter, Ella Jo (Barr) Sadler, was 16 at the time. She was so severely beaten by Crump that she suffered massive skull fractures. She was in a coma for three weeks. Supposedly, the motive for the murders and assaults was to steal the Barr family's car.

At a press conference before another parole hearing a few years ago, Sadler said she had never fully recovered from her injuries. The physical injuries she suffered, however, were not nearly as bad as the mental anguish she and relatives have suffered over the years because of the "horrendous crimes" that Crump and his companion committed on July 18, 1959. Crump pleaded guilty to two murder charges and two charges of first-degree assault in connection with the case. He was given consecutive life sentences for the murders and consecutive 75-year sentences for the assaults. He has been coming up for parole regularly for about the last 10 years.

In addition to the help of a number of Washington County residents, Sadler has had the support of Citizens Against Homicide and Parents of Murdered Children in her effort to block Crump's parole. The petitions being circulated said, "Justice demands that he serve the full prison term given him at the time he was sentenced for this heinous crime."

Barr and his wife operated a country store located along Route C in the small community of Quaker, which is west of Belgrade. They were very popular with the people of the area and the deadly attacks stirred great emotion within the region. Sadler recounted the horrifying events of that summer day in a book she wrote, "Murder in the Afternoon." It was published in 1975. Though now out of print, it can be found in most local public libraries and is also still available through Amazon.com on the Internet.

It was ironic that one of the first law enforcement officers to arrive at the scene of the crime was Highway Patrol Sgt. Herman Barr, a brother of the victim. Despite the deep personal tragedy, the patrol sergeant carried out his duties in seeking out the two suspects.

The other young man who was involved in the murders was given lesser sentences and has since been released from prison. Authorities indicated it was Crump who was primarily responsible for the violent attacks and the other man was his accomplice.