Former NFL Buffalo Bills tight-end, Buster Barnett, is mourning the tragic and violent end of his wife’s life. Responsible for it? Barnett’s mistress of several years. It appears Barnett purchased the vehicle his wife was killed in, for his mistress some time ago, and he had paid for the other woman’s home in Lithonia, Georgia. Police spoke to Barnett to discover the timeline of the events leading up to the murder of Sandra Barnett.
The former player claims Lisa Brown arrived to his job early Wednesday and discovered Barnett and his wife would be going on a trip. Upset at the discovery, Brown started placing a plan together to kidnap her lover’s wife.
Brown was familiar with the path of kidnapping. In a previous case, she kidnapped her own daughter after losing physical custody of the girl. For three days Brown eluded Texas officials until she was caught and her daughter taken away from her and placed back into the safety of relatives. Her kidnapping sights were now set on Barnett’s wife with ill intentions.
Sandra is remembered as a “bubbly” special needs teacher at McNair Middle School in Decatur, Georgia. She was chatting to a friend on the phone when Brown stormed the home. Police have not responded to queries if the door was unlocked or opened for Brown to walk in. The friend who was speaking to Sandra said she heard some commotion and the line went dead. Instead of calling police, she contacted a male friend to drive by Sandra’s home to make sure she was okay.
Sandra was subdued by the incensed Brown and placed into a Dodge Durango. Shortly after, the male friend drove by and saw a female standing near the SUV but did not think much about it. When he drove around again, the SUV was gone. Police were then contacted when Sandra could not be reached.
Police immediately responded to the call of the kidnapping. They spotted and chased Brown on I-20 from Georgia to Alabama when the Durango came to a screeching halt in the middle of the highway. What started out as a kidnapping turned into a murder when police heard a gun fire.
Brown had shot Sandra to death and with police approaching the vehicle, she turned the gun on herself and pulled the trigger.
As the bodies were recovered and investigators arrived to the scene, they discovered the handcuffs and a receipt, noting per the date and time, Brown purchased the handcuffs shortly before visiting Barnett’s home. Police state the home shows signs of a struggle as Sandra fought vainly to protect herself from the sudden attack.
Police have questioned Barnett extensively, but have not named him a potential accessory to the murder.