Miranda (née Dean) and Elytte Barbour were married on October 22, 2013, in Dunn, North Carolina. They were both 19.
On November 11, 2013, Troy LaFerrara, a resident of Port Trevorton, Pennsylvania, was killed. In September 2014, Miranda Barbour and her husband, Elytte Barbour, were found guilty and given a life sentence.
The murder is remarkable because one of the perpetrators, Miranda Barbour, falsely claimed that she had also murdered at least 22 other individuals, which led to extensive international media coverage of the case.
The Murder of Troy LaFerrara
Miranda and Troy LaFerrara met through a Craigslist ad in which Miranda offered to have sex with him in exchange for cash. Miranda is not a sex worker, according to Elytte. He claimed she met males who paid her for “delightful conversation.” Miranda reported that she agreed to meet with LaFerrara for sex for $100.
Miranda allegedly met LaFerrara at the Susquehanna Valley Mall parking lot in Hummels Wharf, Pennsylvania, on November 11, 2013. Miranda and LaFerrara drove six miles to Sunbury, a small town roughly 100 miles northwest of Philadelphia, after agreeing on payment. Elytte Barbour told police he hid in the rear seat under a blanket and waited for Miranda’s signal.
Miranda signaled to Elytte, who jumped out and placed a cord around LaFerrara’s neck while Miranda stabbed him 20 times in their Honda CR-V. The next day, November 12, 2013, LaFerrara’s body was recovered in a residential back yard in Sunbury.
According to police, after Miranda and Elytte dumped LaFerrara’s body, the pair went to supper and then bought bleach wipes, towels, and cleaning liquid to clean the blood from inside the vehicle. According to the arrest document, Elytte stated that the two killed LaFerrara simply to murder someone together.
Arrest and Sentencing
According to authorities, the Barbours originally denied even knowing LaFerrara, but investigators connected the final call from LaFerrara’s phone to Miranda’s phone.
The couple’s testimonies allegedly shifted as the investigation progressed, from Miranda’s story of self-defense to a shared confession to premeditated murder. According to investigators, the homicide was a thrill killing three weeks after the couple’s wedding.
A thrill kill is a premeditated or random murder motivated solely by the joy of the act. While attempts to categorize numerous killings have been made, such as categorizing “thrill killing” as a sort of “hedonistic mass killing,” specific details of incidents sometimes overlap category definitions, making such distinctions hard.
Miranda and Elytte Barbour, both 19, pled not guilty to first-degree murder charges that carried the death penalty if convicted. They both pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and were sentenced to life in prison.
Both were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on September 18, 2014.
Miranda Barbour
Miranda Barbour claimed she was assaulted by a relative when she was four years old. Miranda’s uncle was charged with sexual assault of a youngster and sentenced to 19 years in prison, according to Barbour’s mother.
Barbour said that when she was 13, she joined a satanic cult and soon after committed her first murder when the cult leader forced her to shoot a guy who owed them money. She claimed responsibility for “at least 22 killings” between 2008 and 2013. This accusation sparked worldwide media interest and prompted the FBI and other law enforcement agencies to investigate it.
“We have been in contact with various law enforcement agencies where she has lived and haven’t received any information supporting what she indicated,” a Northumberland County District Attorney told The Daily Item. According to an Alaska State Trooper statement, there is no evidence that Barbour committed any killings during her time in Alaska.
Credits: Dailymail