Murder of Willie Barden by Felicia Barden examined on Snapped

Mugshot of Felicia Barden
Felicia Barden is serving a life sentence for killing her husband. Pic credit: MS Dept. of Corrections

Snapped is investigating the murder of Willie James Barden, a firefighter who was shot dead by his wife, Felicia Barden, at their home near Olive Branch in DeSoto County, Mississippi.

On November 12, 2019, Joshua Price received a phone call at work from his mother, Felicia. She told her son that she had shot his stepfather, 55-year-old Willie.

Price rushed to the house, where he found Willie lying unresponsive in the master bedroom. He dialed 911, and when the paramedics arrived, they declared Willie dead. He had been a respected member of the Memphis Fire Department since July 2004.

Stepson Price would later testify against Felicia. The house had extensive surveillance cameras throughout, including a camera above the door of the master bedroom. Price explained that his “frantic” mother asked him to throw away the Digital Video Recorder (DVR).

Price threw the DVR into a garbage can and returned to find his mother sitting on the bed with a gun in her mouth. He took the gun away from her and threw it into a cupboard.

The cops arrived a short time later and found both the DVR and the gun. When questioned, Price told them Felicia had confessed to him that she was the killer.

After the shooting, neighbors expressed their shock to the local media. Willie Shields told reporters, “I saw the police pass me. I knew it was bad when I saw the crime scene tape go up.”

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Neighbor Linda McClure said, “I thought, oh my God, they do that when there is a death. I got real upset. It was horrible. I thought, oh my Lord.”

DeSoto County cops had strong evidence against Felicia Barden for Willie Barden murder

The police examined the video footage, which showed Felicia leaving the bedroom and walking to the garage, where she retrieved the murder weapon before returning to the bedroom.

Forensic detectives also recovered gunshot residue on the backs of Felicia and Willie’s hands.

Booking mugshot of Felicia Barden
Felicia Barden was charged with first-degree murder. Pic credit: DeSoto County Jail

The detectives learned that the Barden marriage was in trouble. The investigators examined Felicia’s cellphone, which revealed a message from Willie the day before the shooting that suggested he wanted a divorce.

Felicia had also written a suicide note in the form of a text message.

Felicia Barden convicted for killing Willie Barden

A jury convicted Felicia Barden of first-degree murder, and she was sentenced to life. She is currently incarcerated at the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility in Pearl, MS. She had an appeal turned down in June 2021.

Neighbor McClure told reporters about Willie: “He was sweet as sugar to me. He would hug me, and he would call me Ms. Linda.” And of Felicia: “She seemed sweet, a little bit standoffish. She said she didn’t tell anybody her business.”

Snapped airs Sundays at 6/5c on oxygen.

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