Nightline (ABC) - 1999-07-29
Channel: malgent
Transcript
Language: English (original, YouTube automatic captions)
[0:01] July 29th, 1999.
[0:09] First, there were nine dead in an
[0:12] Atlanta office building.
[0:14] >> The witnesses knew who Mr. Barton was,
[0:17] identified him as the person that had
[0:19] shot them or had done the shooting. So,
[0:22] we have a positive ID on Mr. Barton as
[0:25] the shooter. Then miles away, three
[0:28] relatives of Mark Barton were found
[0:30] dead. They had been shot earlier in
[0:33] their home.
[0:34] >> The three more victims in Stockbridge do
[0:37] include children.
[0:39] >> Then it emerged that years ago, Barton's
[0:42] former wife and mother-in-law were
[0:44] murdered, although Barton himself was
[0:47] never charged. A few moments ago at Lake
[0:50] Aworth and Cowan Road in Cobb County at
[0:53] a BP station, Mr. Barton was pulled over
[0:57] and committed suicide.
[0:59] Tonight, the strange case of Mark
[1:02] Barton.
[1:07] From ABC News,
[1:12] this is Night Line
[1:14] reporting from Washington. Ted Cobble.
[1:20] We are about to tell you a story
[1:22] involving at least a dozen murders,
[1:24] maybe more, and ultimately a suicide.
[1:27] But it is not, as we all initially
[1:29] believed, a story that just happened
[1:31] today. It seems to have terrible roots
[1:34] going back 5 years or more. Today's
[1:37] killing rampage was preceded by another
[1:40] far more personal one. And there may
[1:42] have been a couple of other murders long
[1:44] before those. Tonight, we're going to
[1:47] attempt to put it into some kind of
[1:48] perspective. But this business of trying
[1:51] to find order in chaos can itself be a
[1:53] terribly confusing process. As this
[1:56] story first broke this afternoon, the
[1:58] focus on Mark Barton had to do with the
[2:00] fact that he was believed to be a
[2:01] customer of the Altech Investment Group
[2:04] at their offices in the Buckhead section
[2:06] of Atlanta. It is a day trading company
[2:09] through which investors can and do make
[2:12] the sort of instantaneous stock
[2:14] transactions that can earn or lose huge
[2:16] amounts of money almost instantaneously.
[2:19] The initial assumptions were that Barton
[2:21] had lost a lot of money. The first
[2:23] reports were all about the disgruntled
[2:26] day trader who must have lost a bundle
[2:28] and then went berserk. No, said the
[2:30] chief executive of Altech from his
[2:32] company headquarters in New Jersey. He
[2:35] knew about Barton, but Barton hadn't
[2:37] traded with his company since sometime
[2:39] in April. So there was no apparent
[2:41] reason whatsoever for him to start
[2:43] shooting people at Altech. Five dead at
[2:46] that office and no apparent reason. And
[2:49] then other strange aspects of the story
[2:52] emerged. Barton had first gone to the
[2:55] offices of Momentum Securities and there
[2:58] he'd killed four people. Barton was
[3:01] identified long before he was found. So
[3:03] police went to his home about 30 mi
[3:06] away. He had split up with his wife less
[3:08] than a month ago. She had taken an
[3:11] apartment with their two children and
[3:13] independently of all that was happening,
[3:15] someone worried about them, went to
[3:17] check on them and found them all dead.
[3:21] And then yet another story emerged,
[3:23] reaching back five or six years to a
[3:25] previous marriage and the murder of a
[3:28] previous wife and that woman's mother,
[3:29] Barton's mother-in-law. He had been a
[3:32] suspect in those killings, but never
[3:34] prosecuted. Bizarre. Just wait. Night
[3:38] Line has learned that Mark Barton did
[3:40] lose a pile of money day trading only
[3:43] yesterday. $70,000 at Momentum
[3:47] Securities. And shortly before his first
[3:49] wife and mother-in-law were bludgeoned
[3:51] to death six years ago, Barton had taken
[3:54] out a huge insurance policy on his
[3:56] wife's life. We'll get into all of that
[3:59] shortly, but first, ABC correspondent
[4:01] Aaron Hayes brings us up to date on the
[4:04] story that seemed to begin in a bloody
[4:06] flurry just this afternoon.
[4:10] >> A window has been broken on the second
[4:12] floor.
[4:14] >> There was some shooting going on inside
[4:16] the building.
[4:17] >> It was chaos.
[4:21] So many in these buildings had been
[4:23] unaware of the danger until they saw
[4:25] police running through their halls.
[4:27] >> And they were with their backs against
[4:29] the wall, the guns drawn like you'd see,
[4:30] you know, in a movie. And basically they
[4:33] said, "Close the door. Clo the door.
[4:34] Close the door." And on the ground uh on
[4:36] the carpet, there was a little betrayal
[4:38] of blood.
[4:38] >> Some office workers broke out windows,
[4:41] called to police who crawled inside.
[4:43] Police begged many to stay inside with
[4:45] doors locked. Some of those workers,
[4:48] anxious to let family know they were
[4:50] safe, spoke to reporters by phone.
[4:52] >> There are three other women in the
[4:54] office with me now. I'm just scared and
[4:56] I just would like to get out of here.
[5:01] >> Police found bodies, nine of them in two
[5:04] separate brokerage firms in two
[5:06] different office buildings. SWAT teams
[5:08] surrounded the whole office complex
[5:10] here, stunned and puzzled. No idea yet
[5:13] who the shooter was or where.
[5:17] As they could, they scrambled office
[5:19] workers to safety, many in shock.
[5:21] >> I saw in the management office a pool of
[5:24] blood. And uh when I saw that, I ran in
[5:26] my office, told everybody it had
[5:27] obviously been a shooting.
[5:28] >> They said, "Get down. He's got a gun.
[5:29] There he is up on the roof and he had a
[5:32] girl up there with him. He was holding
[5:33] her over the edge of the over the edge
[5:35] of the building."
[5:36] >> Nell Jones was standing eye to eyee with
[5:38] him
[5:39] >> when he exited
[5:41] the heart of the office. So I was the
[5:45] first person to look into his eyes.
[5:48] >> And what did you see?
[5:49] >> Uh someone who was very
[5:52] calm and determined.
[5:57] >> No feelings. No feelings.
[5:59] >> And he pointed the gun at you and fired
[6:02] >> directly. Yes.
[6:03] >> Somehow the bullet did not hit her. As
[6:06] police were struggling to clear each
[6:07] office building, word came through on
[6:09] the identity of the suspect, Mark
[6:11] Barton. He was 44 years old. He lived in
[6:15] moral. He was a chemist.
[6:17] >> And authorities believe he may well have
[6:19] known some of those shot.
[6:21] >> Over the last few months, he had been
[6:23] actively engaged in day trading.
[6:26] According to those who seem to have
[6:28] information, he had substantial swings,
[6:32] losses, and gains. Um seemed to indicate
[6:36] some concern about financial losses.
[6:38] >> But he apparently gave no clue to his
[6:40] victims. said little when he walked into
[6:42] their offices, smiled, said hello, and
[6:45] began shooting. Through the evening
[6:47] hours here, it was tense with fear. Not
[6:50] knowing where he was, where he was
[6:52] headed, what he might do. And then at
[6:55] this Atlanta gas station, 5 hours after
[6:57] the shooting had begun, police cornered
[6:59] Mark Barton. He did not shoot at them or
[7:02] run.
[7:03] >> There is no information that he
[7:05] attempted to flee. He was pulled over
[7:08] and then apparently killed himself at
[7:10] that time.
[7:11] >> That quickly it was over. And now the
[7:13] questions, why? What could have brought
[7:16] a man to this point? What was the life
[7:18] that led him here? Aaron Hayes, ABC
[7:21] News, Atlanta.
[7:24] >> And joining us now live from Atlanta,
[7:25] Steve Osansami, ABC correspondent, who
[7:28] is covering the murders at Barton's
[7:30] home. And Steve, my assumption earlier
[7:33] on was that it was the police who once
[7:35] they learned of his identity went to the
[7:37] home and found the wife and children,
[7:39] but you've learned otherwise.
[7:41] >> Actually, it was a maintenance worker
[7:43] who called in the apartment to check on
[7:45] Mrs. Barton's welfare. Neighbors say she
[7:48] was active in Girl Scouts and failed to
[7:50] show up for an activity Wednesday night,
[7:52] so they knew something was wrong. With
[7:54] that discovery, the maintenance worker
[7:56] not only solved that disappearance, but
[7:58] in the end may have helped to explain
[8:00] why this rampage began.
[8:06] Of Barton's aranged wife, police are
[8:08] finding evidence his rage began days
[8:10] ago. Leanne Barton was found dead in a
[8:13] closet. Investigators believe she was
[8:15] killed Tuesday. his two children from
[8:18] his previous marriage, 12-year-old
[8:20] Matthew and 7-year-old Shelley, lying
[8:23] dead in their own beds. Police believe
[8:25] they were killed yesterday.
[8:27] >> Why to a person when they get ready to
[8:30] go out this world, why do they have to
[8:31] take so many people with them?
[8:34] Just unbelievable that our world has
[8:37] come to this.
[8:38] >> It just it's just mind shattering, you
[8:41] know? I mean, you just can't understand.
[8:42] You can't imagine. Investigators say he
[8:45] covered each of the victims with
[8:46] blankets and left notes all over the
[8:49] home.
[8:50] >> There are also notes placed on the the
[8:54] little girl and on on the little boy.
[8:57] And there's also a note placed a top of
[9:00] where we think that his wife is. Police
[9:03] found another note in the living room.
[9:05] This one written on a computer.
[9:08] Investigators say it tells the whole
[9:10] story in uncomfortable detail. Barton
[9:13] was renting a home nearby. Police are
[9:16] there now searching for more clues.
[9:19] >> And joining us now from Atlanta, Joe
[9:21] Skipper. Joe, uh, help me out by quickly
[9:23] telling us where you work and how you
[9:26] came to be uh, involved in this story.
[9:28] >> Um, I work at Momentum Securities. Um,
[9:31] I've been trading there for about 4
[9:33] months. Um, I was there in the office
[9:36] today when Mark Barton came in and
[9:38] started his shooting rampage. Now, do
[9:40] you have any sense of what it was that
[9:42] might have so upset him today?
[9:44] >> Um, I don't really want to speculate on
[9:46] that. I'm I'm assuming that he lost a
[9:49] large amount of money.
[9:50] >> Well, you're you're doing more than
[9:51] assuming. You know that he lost a large
[9:52] amount of money.
[9:53] >> Well, I I don't really want to speculate
[9:56] on that.
[9:56] >> I I'm not asking you to speculate. I'm
[9:58] asking you to tell me what you know.
[10:00] >> Um, I know what I saw. I saw him go on a
[10:01] shooting rampage today. Um, I scrambled
[10:04] into a side office with a colleague. Um,
[10:08] I flipped the desk over, pinning it
[10:10] against the door, holding the door shut
[10:13] with the uh desk. Mark Barton came and
[10:16] tried to uh force his way into the room
[10:19] um with no success. He shot through the
[10:21] door twice, missing my head by 3 4 in.
[10:24] >> Now Joe, as you know, the folks over at
[10:26] Altech said he stopped trading there
[10:28] sometime back in April.
[10:30] >> Yeah, that's right.
[10:30] >> But he had been trading much more
[10:32] recently at Momentum, right?
[10:33] >> That's correct.
[10:34] >> Up until yesterday. up until yesterday.
[10:37] >> Uh, and it is it is not unlikely that he
[10:40] lost a great deal of money.
[10:42] >> That's correct.
[10:43] >> Um, do you have any sense of what might
[10:46] have happened at Altech and why he left
[10:49] Altech? And I I'll tell you exactly why
[10:50] I'm asking. We have learned from one
[10:52] source over there uh that he might not
[10:55] have been able to meet his margin call.
[10:57] In other words, that he had debts over
[10:59] there and that he was no longer able to
[11:00] trade there. Have you ever heard
[11:01] anything like that?
[11:02] >> Um, I I haven't heard anything like
[11:04] that. Uh so of him you know only that he
[11:08] was fairly big player. I mean did he did
[11:11] he uh invest large sums of money?
[11:13] >> I didn't know anything like I didn't
[11:14] know how much money he had, how much he
[11:16] invested or how much he put on the line.
[11:17] I only knew that he rented out a
[11:19] terminal just like I did at Momentum
[11:21] Securities.
[11:22] >> But when he left yesterday, did he seem
[11:25] particularly upset?
[11:27] >> Um I didn't see Mark Barton yesterday
[11:28] leave.
[11:29] >> And when he came in today, did he give
[11:31] any indication before he started
[11:33] shooting?
[11:33] >> Um no, he did not. As a matter of fact,
[11:35] I passed by him maybe 2 minutes before
[11:37] he started shooting. He said, "How are
[11:39] you doing?" And I said, "Fine." Um, he
[11:41] walked by. I went and used the
[11:43] telephone. I came back and sat down. Um,
[11:45] that's when I heard the gunshots going
[11:47] off.
[11:48] >> All right. Well, I thank you very much
[11:49] and we will go on with the story in just
[11:52] a moment.
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[14:15] >> Joining us now, John Cabrer, an employee
[14:17] of the state tollway authority. across
[14:19] the courtyard from one of the offices
[14:21] where Barton killed people this
[14:23] afternoon. I guess the simplest thing is
[14:25] just to ask you what you saw and when
[14:27] >> Well, uh, what I saw is actually what I
[14:30] heard first, which were the gunshots and
[14:32] there were so many in rapid succession.
[14:34] It sounded like an aluminum ladder being
[14:36] thrown down a stairwell. Uh, just bang
[14:38] bang bang bang bang bang bang.
[14:39] >> Did you know what it was running away?
[14:41] Uh, I what I thought was that it was a
[14:44] window washer that might have fallen
[14:46] from the building. And I I looked
[14:48] outside and I saw someone out on the
[14:50] walkway smoking and just this look of
[14:53] terror on his face. And then all of a
[14:55] sudden, he uh took off and went back
[14:57] into the building. So, I ran outside and
[15:00] met another guy running towards me
[15:02] yelling, "Call the police. Call the
[15:03] police." So, I let him back into our
[15:05] offices and I called 911.
[15:08] And
[15:10] uh when when the 911 operator uh
[15:13] answered the phone, it became evident
[15:14] that a lot of people were calling in for
[15:16] the same thing. So I just I just told
[15:18] her that I had heard gunshots and I hung
[15:20] up and I walked back across the walkway
[15:22] towards the offices and I could see a
[15:25] couple of uh security men.
[15:27] >> You're talking about Altech's offices
[15:29] now or your own?
[15:30] >> These are No, these are at Altech,
[15:32] >> right? Uh, I could see some security
[15:35] people moving towards towards the
[15:36] offices. And I walked into the the rear
[15:40] entrance, the emergency exit, and
[15:43] immediately to my left on the floor,
[15:45] there were two men lying in pools of
[15:48] blood. Uh, the one closest to me was uh
[15:52] he was awake and uh aware of his
[15:54] surroundings. He was trying to feel
[15:56] around for his gunshot wounds. And uh I
[15:58] told him not to try and move. And I
[16:01] looked up and it was it was apparent
[16:03] immediately that everyone was in shock
[16:05] because you know they weren't really
[16:08] trying to uh take care of the wounded
[16:11] yet. They were still
[16:12] >> You mean a lot of people just standing
[16:13] around doing nothing?
[16:14] >> Well, not doing
[16:15] >> or in shock.
[16:16] >> In shock.
[16:17] >> Uh it only took a few more seconds for
[16:19] everything to kick in for everybody. But
[16:21] I went to the other gentleman which was
[16:23] farther away from me on the left and he
[16:26] was uh apparently deceased already. We
[16:28] tried to revive him. Uh, but that was
[16:31] not successful.
[16:32] >> How long How long before any of the
[16:34] authorities showed up?
[16:35] >> Uh,
[16:37] I believe it was probably another
[16:39] another five or six minutes before the
[16:41] first paramedics showed up. But, uh, I
[16:45] mean, looking at the condition of some
[16:46] of those people, if they had been there
[16:48] 2 minutes after the gunshots, uh, I
[16:50] don't think there's more that they could
[16:51] have done.
[16:52] >> And then very quickly, um, you were
[16:56] forced to stay in the building. I mean,
[16:57] at that time they thought that Barton
[16:59] might still be in the building, right?
[17:00] >> Uh, yes. Although, uh, no one was really
[17:03] too concerned about that at the moment.
[17:05] There was some security all over the
[17:06] grounds looking for him. Uh, as more and
[17:09] more paramedics arrived, not realizing
[17:11] what they were walking into. Uh, they
[17:14] had to take care of the wounded there.
[17:15] So they sent us out to the ambulances to
[17:17] bring in more of the supplies, more of
[17:19] the oxygen, more IVs, and uh just to,
[17:25] you know, help them out as much as we
[17:26] could.
[17:27] >> John Gabber, thanks very much indeed.
[17:28] Joining us now live from our Atlanta
[17:30] affiliate, WSB, is the mayor of Atlanta,
[17:33] uh, Bill Campbell. Are you beginning to
[17:36] get your arms around this yet? I mean,
[17:37] this is this story just gets stranger
[17:39] and stranger and more and more bizarre
[17:41] and more and more horrible the more you
[17:42] learn about it. Unfortunately, however
[17:45] bizarre it is, Ted, the uh the
[17:48] unvarnished truth for us is there are
[17:50] nine people that are dead in our city
[17:52] and we must now comfort their families.
[17:55] And of course, there's still people that
[17:57] are injured at the hospital. So, this
[17:59] tragedy has many proportions for us. And
[18:02] I don't think I've ever seen anything
[18:04] quite like it in my entire life. And
[18:06] when you talk about the nine people who
[18:07] were dead in Atlanta, you're not
[18:09] counting the you're not counting the
[18:11] wife and the two children who appear to
[18:13] have been killed a few days ago.
[18:15] >> That's exactly right. And once the
[18:18] dimensions of the tragedy unfolded as we
[18:20] were trying to search for Mr. Bardon, it
[18:23] became clear that it was not simply a
[18:25] case of someone who has had a financial
[18:29] loss and then reacted aggressively as a
[18:32] result of it, but rather a deranged
[18:34] killer who was simply seeking to exact
[18:37] revenge on people he did not know. It's
[18:41] very hard to explain quite honestly.
[18:43] >> To those of us, Mr. mayor in the rest of
[18:45] the country who may not know Atlanta
[18:48] quite as well. How far away was he from
[18:51] the Altech office building when he when
[18:55] he was was he pulled over by the police
[18:57] or did they just happen to spot him?
[19:00] >> Once we identified Mr. Barton and of
[19:03] course that was fairly easy because many
[19:05] of the people who were shot knew Mr.
[19:07] Barton and identified him instantly. We
[19:09] had a picture from his driver's license.
[19:12] The authorities who worked tremendously
[19:14] well in cooperation with both the local
[19:17] and federal and state authorities were
[19:19] able to get an identification of his
[19:21] driver's license, the vehicle, and the
[19:24] tag number. He was pulled over by
[19:26] suburban authorities and then shot
[19:29] himself as he was being pulled over.
[19:32] >> How far away from from the uh the point
[19:34] of the shooting was he? How far out of
[19:36] town had he made?
[19:37] >> Perhaps perhaps 10 to 15 miles from the
[19:40] site of the killing. But I mean, they
[19:41] they identified the vehicle, they knew
[19:43] whom they were pulling over, when they
[19:45] pulled him over.
[19:46] >> I I think it's fair to say, Ted, that
[19:48] once the dimensions of the tragedy
[19:50] unfolded, virtually every law
[19:52] enforcement personnel in the state began
[19:55] an active search for Mr. Barton. We knew
[19:57] the dimensions of the tragedy, nine
[19:59] people. Then, as we understood that he
[20:02] had killed his wife and two children,
[20:04] there was a very active and aggressive
[20:06] search on every level. And it was only a
[20:09] matter of time before he was spotted and
[20:11] pulled over and of course he then killed
[20:13] himself and we're now left to deal with
[20:15] this tragedy. And we're trying to do so
[20:17] with prayer as you can imagine.
[20:18] >> Absolutely. And and you know the prayers
[20:21] of the nation are with you and with the
[20:22] people of Atlanta and all the families
[20:24] and and the folks who are in the
[20:25] hospital and we'll be talking to one of
[20:27] the surgeons at the hospital later. Mr.
[20:29] Mayor, I know it's been a long and
[20:30] dreadful day for you. Thank you so much
[20:32] for coming in and taking the time.
[20:34] >> Thank you very much. When we come back,
[20:36] who was Mark Barton and could this
[20:38] possibly have been prevented?
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[21:28] >> Darling, yes, the house is 100,000 more
[21:30] than we talked about.
[21:32] Just dreamy. I'll write up the contract
[21:34] so we're ready.
[21:35] >> Sweet home should get
[21:36] >> before you go here. Go here. Whether
[21:38] you're researching neighborhoods or
[21:40] agents at go.com you move on your own
[21:42] terms.
[21:43] >> Courage. Something shared by countless
[21:46] Americans.
[21:48] Those who risk their lives.
[21:50] Those who battle serious illness. When I
[21:52] was diagnosed with prostate cancer, I
[21:55] was primarily concerned with ridding
[21:56] myself of the cancer. But secondly, I
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[22:37] everything worthwhile does.
[22:45] >> Coming up. I wish there had been
[22:47] pornography taught when I was in school
[22:50] because Jerry Stiller would have had a
[22:52] happier first 20 years of our marriage.
[22:54] >> Politically incorrect.
[22:56] >> Ever feel like walking into a showroom
[22:58] and telling the salesperson how much you
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[23:01] starts crunching numbers, you can. And
[23:04] crunching the numbers has allowed us to
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[23:29] >> Mark Barton's story became more and more
[23:32] complicated before the back one goes.
[23:34] Chris Bury has been sorting out the
[23:36] details of this extraordinary story.
[23:39] Chris,
[23:39] >> the witnesses knew who Mr. Barton was.
[23:42] identified him as the person that had
[23:44] shot them or had done the shooting. So,
[23:47] we have a positive ID on Mr. Barton as
[23:50] the shooter.
[23:51] >> Early this evening, Mayor Campbell, like
[23:53] everyone else, was trying to answer the
[23:55] questions, who was Mark Barton, and why
[23:58] would he kill and kill so many?
[24:01] >> He was a chemist who then began day
[24:04] trading stocks,
[24:07] apparently had substantial swings up and
[24:10] down. That's all we have at this point.
[24:14] >> Thus far, we have no idea. We have no
[24:17] idea what caused Mr. Barton to begin
[24:20] shooting.
[24:21] >> 44 years old, 6'4, Barton had recently
[24:25] been day trading at offices of the
[24:27] Alttech Investment Group, one of the
[24:29] places where he left his victims dead
[24:31] and wounded today. There are conflicting
[24:34] reports about how often Barton played
[24:36] the markets from here. I believe he was
[24:38] one of our remote clients trading from
[24:41] his home dealing with our Atlanta office
[24:43] and I'm told he hasn't traded in many
[24:45] months.
[24:46] >> Barton, his second wife, and two young
[24:48] children from his first marriage had
[24:50] recently moved into these apartments
[24:52] where the bodies of his son, daughter,
[24:54] and wife were found. Tonight, neighbors
[24:56] said there had been marital problems and
[24:58] a recent separation. One woman said she
[25:01] noticed something strange about Barton
[25:03] earlier this week. Now, I noticed
[25:05] Tuesday night when he come to pick up my
[25:07] grandson, he did look a little peculiar.
[25:09] Had a certain look in his eyes that he
[25:11] didn't usually have.
[25:12] >> The Bartons had moved from a street
[25:14] called Sinclair Place in Marorrow,
[25:16] Georgia. Tonight, neighbors up and down
[25:18] the street described Barton in telephone
[25:20] interviews as articulate, smart, and not
[25:24] particularly friendly.
[25:25] >> The typical American family man. I have
[25:29] come in and know many times we were
[25:30] going to church on Sunday morning. And I
[25:32] would see he and his family coming out
[25:34] getting ready to go to church in their
[25:35] van. And they were um they wasn't, you
[25:39] know, very uh friendly people. They
[25:41] wasn't outgoing, but they were just a
[25:42] typical family.
[25:43] >> He was like intelligent and and smart
[25:47] and kind of brainy, you know. He was a
[25:49] he was a quiet type of guy. He had a he
[25:51] had a nice family. Two little kids and a
[25:53] wife.
[25:53] >> He was not a
[25:56] social person. I mean, well, I mean, he
[25:59] just didn't get out and just didn't
[26:00] talk. He would speak if
[26:04] you know if I mean just throw his hand
[26:06] up or something when he was in the van
[26:09] driving by or if he was out in the yard.
[26:12] He just throw his hand up or something
[26:14] like that.
[26:14] >> He was never the friendly type. You
[26:17] know, he never spoke to any of the
[26:18] neighbors come out to the street and had
[26:19] any of the, you know, the street talks
[26:20] we'd have and stuff like that.
[26:22] >> I feel saddened by it.
[26:25] I feel sad that we missed the
[26:27] opportunity to prevent this thing from
[26:30] happening. You see, we we never know
[26:33] when we prevent something like this from
[26:35] happening. We only know when we didn't.
[26:39] And we didn't this time, and it's a
[26:42] great tragedy.
[26:43] >> In 1993, Barton was center stage in
[26:46] another tragedy. The brutal murders of
[26:48] his previous wife and mother-in-law.
[26:50] They were found bludgeoned to death in
[26:52] this campground in Alabama, where they
[26:54] had gone to spend the Labor Day weekend.
[26:56] Police say the trailer had no signs of
[26:59] forced entry and they considered Barton
[27:01] the primary suspect, but did not have
[27:03] enough evidence to charge him. We spoke
[27:06] by phone tonight with Cherokee County
[27:08] Sheriff Roy Wyn about the murders of
[27:11] Deborah Barton and her mother. They were
[27:14] uh killed near Cedar Bluff at Riverside
[27:16] Campground
[27:18] by some type blunt instrument or cutting
[27:21] type instrument of some sort. He was a
[27:23] prime suspect from the very start. Um
[27:27] the uh the case was still open.
[27:30] Uh you know, we hadn't we hadn't been
[27:32] able to receive anything on it in some
[27:34] time. Uh but uh you know, we we felt we
[27:38] felt sure that he was he was our man.
[27:40] What was your reaction when you heard
[27:42] about the shootings in at near Atlanta?
[27:44] >> Well, basically I said, "Man, I wish we
[27:46] could have nailed him first."
[27:48] >> Other local officials said they had good
[27:50] reason to suspect Barton in the 1993
[27:52] murders. A strong motive for one thing.
[27:55] >> Just very shortly before this happened.
[27:58] Uh, several circumstances surrounded it.
[28:01] Uh, he was uh
[28:05] going with another lady. the lady that
[28:07] he killed this time. He was he married
[28:10] her shortly after the funeral of his
[28:13] first wife. They uh he had taken an
[28:18] $600,000 insurance policy out on the the
[28:22] wife that uh was killed. There was never
[28:24] any forensic evidence, never any
[28:26] eyewitness evidence, never any
[28:28] incriminating statements from him. There
[28:30] was nothing to go with that. And being a
[28:32] suspect is a great deal different from
[28:34] being a charged defendant. Tonight, one
[28:37] investigator told Night Line he felt
[28:39] quote sick, very sick, knowing that
[28:42] Barton had escaped prosecution for the
[28:44] murders of his wife and mother-in-law in
[28:46] 1993. In fact, for more than 5 years
[28:49] now, Barton's father-in-law has been on
[28:51] a crusade, pressuring authorities all
[28:53] the way up to the governor's office to
[28:55] prosecute the man he calls a psychopath.
[28:58] Tonight, he told Night Line he has now
[29:00] lost everything, his wife, his daughter,
[29:03] and today his two grandchildren. Ted,
[29:06] >> Chris, thanks very much. Uh, as we heard
[29:08] just a moment ago, Mark Barton took out
[29:10] a substantial insurance policy just
[29:13] before his ex-wife was murdered, but the
[29:15] insurance company didn't want to pay.
[29:18] That story and the story from Mr. the
[29:20] Britain's lawyer when we come back
[29:37] and wide and the sun is shining.
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[32:41] Attorney Michael Huffman represented
[32:43] Mark Barton in the Alabama murders of
[32:45] his ex-wife and mother-in-law. He joins
[32:47] us from our Atlanta affiliate WSB. He
[32:50] was never charged with the murders. So,
[32:52] what what were you representing him for?
[32:55] In in what capacity?
[32:56] >> There was a civil action over the
[32:59] insurance policy. the company didn't
[33:01] want to pay.
[33:02] >> That is correct. Um primarily because of
[33:05] the short period of time in which the
[33:07] policy was in existence and combined
[33:10] with the Alabama is uh the Alabama
[33:13] authorities belief that he was involved
[33:15] in the homicide. The civil attorneys
[33:18] brought me into the case to deal with
[33:20] the criminal aspects of the case.
[33:22] >> Now he uh he eventually received what
[33:26] the whole 600,000
[33:27] >> uh very close to that. um he received a
[33:30] substantial portion of that and a large
[33:32] portion of the um funds went into a
[33:34] trust account for the children.
[33:36] >> Um obviously today you must have
[33:39] slightly different feelings. I mean no
[33:41] no attorney is required to believe in
[33:43] the innocence of his client but whatever
[33:44] you felt 6 years ago. How do you feel
[33:46] today?
[33:47] >> Um I am stunned that this had happened.
[33:50] I'm saddened that there was this
[33:52] tragedy. Um however I still believe he
[33:55] was innocent of the crime in um Alabama.
[33:57] really
[33:58] >> they had absolutely no proof back then
[34:01] that he had committed the offense. In
[34:03] fact, um
[34:05] they had another suspect who's presently
[34:09] in custody in Indiana that had um
[34:13] confessed to the killings,
[34:14] >> but they never they never charged that
[34:16] person with that crime, did they?
[34:18] >> And they did not.
[34:20] >> I beg your pardon?
[34:21] >> No, they did not. I
[34:23] >> I'm astonished at what you're saying
[34:24] here. Here's a man who today shot nine
[34:27] people. A couple of days ago, shot his
[34:29] second wife and or killed his second
[34:32] wife and two children. I don't know if
[34:33] he shot them uh 4 days before his
[34:37] previous wife and mother-in-law are
[34:39] found. He takes out a $600,000
[34:42] life insurance policy on his wife. And
[34:44] you don't think he had anything to do
[34:46] with it?
[34:46] >> Um, absolutely not. I think he was
[34:48] devastated by the fact that she was
[34:50] killed back then. Um
[34:53] he um he he was horrified by it. Um and
[34:58] that
[34:58] >> well he said he was horrified by it.
[35:00] >> Well, you know, I I think I could tell
[35:02] by um my dealings with him that that it
[35:06] was something that that had devastated
[35:08] him. the um fact that the person who's
[35:12] in prison in Ind Indiana um was present
[35:16] at the scene. My client was 100 miles
[35:19] away with um a pretty good alibi.
[35:22] There's a person in Indiana who's
[35:24] present at the scene of that murder. Um
[35:26] confessed to the murder and had access
[35:29] to the type of weapon that was used in
[35:31] that murder, which which was a very
[35:33] unusual type of hatchet.
[35:34] >> Hold on one second. You're telling me
[35:35] that someone was apprehended in Indiana
[35:38] who confessed to this murder but has
[35:40] never been charged with a murder. That's
[35:42] passing strange, isn't it?
[35:43] >> Um,
[35:46] I'm not a prosecutor in Alabama. It's
[35:49] not my job to prosecute their cases. Um,
[35:51] >> but your client, as I understand it,
[35:53] refused to take a lie detector test at
[35:55] the time. It doesn't have to. I
[35:56] understand that. But that doesn't sound
[35:58] too good either, does it?
[35:59] >> Well, he does. Number one, he doesn't
[36:01] have to. Number two, polygraph tests
[36:03] really don't work.
[36:04] >> I understand. And but if you if you're
[36:05] trying to show your innocence and you've
[36:07] got nothing to be concerned about and
[36:08] you're as horrified as you say he was,
[36:10] would have been a simple thing to do.
[36:12] Did you advise him not to take it?
[36:13] >> I always advise clients not to take
[36:15] polygraphs.
[36:16] >> And you did in this case.
[36:17] >> I'm basic. Yeah. They're basically
[36:18] witchcraft. I mean, you know, it's it's
[36:20] a good interrogation tool. You can get
[36:24] people to answer questions, but they
[36:26] can't tell if you're telling the truth
[36:27] or not.
[36:28] >> But six six years ago, you were
[36:29] convinced this man was not a murderer.
[36:31] And today, I guess you say you're as
[36:33] shocked as everybody else.
[36:35] >> Absolutely. It is something I didn't
[36:37] think he had in him.
[36:38] >> Mr. Hoffman, I thank you very much.
[36:40] >> Thank you. Have a good night.
[36:41] >> An update on the condition of today's
[36:43] shooting victims when we come back.
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[38:20] >> tomorrow NASA's bold undertaking
[38:23] crashing a spacecraft into the moon.
[38:25] What will the impact uncover? Watch
[38:27] ABC's World News Tonight with Peter
[38:29] Jennings.
[38:35] >> In Salsbury, Maryland, the hungry are
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[39:35] >> Thus far, we've spoken only of the
[39:37] people who were shot and killed today.
[39:39] Seven of today's shooting victims were
[39:41] sent to Grady Memorial Hospital,
[39:43] Atlanta's premier trauma center. Dr.
[39:46] Leon Haley is the director of the
[39:48] emergency room. Dr. Haley, I seem to
[39:50] have lost your picture. Can you still
[39:51] hear me? All right, though.
[39:54] >> Well, we There's Dr. Haley. Dr. Haley,
[39:56] what can you tell me about the condition
[39:57] of the people who were injured?
[39:59] >> Well, there were seven individuals that
[40:01] were transported to our institution. Um
[40:04] originally uh one of those individuals
[40:06] was uh suffered a gunshot went to the
[40:08] back and she was actually discharged
[40:09] home in relatively good condition. The
[40:12] remaining six are still here. Three of
[40:14] whom are in the ICU in critical
[40:16] condition. Another two that are on the
[40:18] floor in good and serious condition and
[40:21] another individual who is in an
[40:23] intermediate care unit right now in
[40:24] guarded condition.
[40:26] >> Tell me what critical condition means in
[40:28] in this instance.
[40:30] In this instance, uh these are
[40:32] individuals whose injuries were enough
[40:34] that required operative intervention at
[40:36] that time. Um it's going to require
[40:38] close monitoring in the uh ICU uh via
[40:41] both both the nurses as well as the
[40:43] physicians. Um we're going to have to
[40:45] watch them closely over the next 12 to
[40:47] 24 hours. Uh and hopefully once they can
[40:50] clear that mark, we'll have to continue
[40:52] to watch them and make sure they do
[40:53] well. Uh actually I was I was over as
[40:56] you may know CNN earlier this evening
[40:59] when you were talking to Larry King and
[41:00] at that time you were still concerned
[41:02] that these people might survive. Uh are
[41:05] you at least over that concern now?
[41:08] >> Uh I think uh there's at least one or
[41:10] two individuals that we're going to
[41:12] still have to monitor very closely um to
[41:15] see how they do over the next 12 to 24
[41:17] hours. I think there still is an issue
[41:19] of how well they're going to do and
[41:20] survival still is an issue. Um, the
[41:22] other individuals I think have cleared
[41:24] the first couple hurdles and we should
[41:26] be able to observe them and monitor them
[41:27] appropriately and they should do okay,
[41:29] but we'll have to see.
[41:30] >> I realize we're not talking about your
[41:32] hospital, but my understanding is and I
[41:34] just want to be sure that you have the
[41:35] same information altogether. I believe a
[41:38] dozen people were injured and I guess
[41:40] the other five were taken to another
[41:42] hospital or other hospitals.
[41:44] >> That's correct. We had seven transported
[41:46] to this institution. Another five uh
[41:49] were split between three other
[41:50] institutions in the city.
[41:52] >> Do you by any chance know what what the
[41:54] condition of those folks is?
[41:55] >> Um at this time I do not, sir.
[41:57] >> All right. Well, Dr. Haley, I guess at
[41:59] the moment things are, if you'd sum it
[42:02] all up, about as good as can be expected
[42:04] for the patients you have in your
[42:06] hospital.
[42:07] >> That's correct. Um fortunately, we have
[42:09] had one individual who's done well
[42:10] enough to be able to be discharged home
[42:12] this evening. We have two other
[42:13] individuals who are on a regular floor
[42:15] which are encouraging signs and all of
[42:17] the individuals that initially went to
[42:19] the operating room or are out of the
[42:20] operating room and in the intensive care
[42:22] unit. So, we do have some encouraging
[42:23] signs, but there are some things we're
[42:25] going to have to monitor more
[42:26] appropriately.
[42:26] >> Well, we wish you good luck and thank
[42:28] you for taking the time. Uh it's good of
[42:30] you to do.
[42:31] >> Thank you.
[42:32] >> We'll recap today's events in and around
[42:34] Atlanta in just a moment.
[42:38] Traveling through Arizona, we blew a
[42:40] front tire, a shot off the road, and I
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[43:09] >> To recap now what we know at the end of
[43:11] this tragic day. Nine people were shot
[43:13] and killed, 12 others wounded this
[43:15] afternoon at two brokerage offices in
[43:18] Atlanta. The gun was gunman was
[43:20] identified as Mark Barton. An investor
[43:23] reportedly upset about recent trading
[43:25] losses. One source of information tells
[43:28] us that he lost as much as $70,000 only
[43:32] yesterday. After a citywide manhunt,
[43:34] Barton was stopped by police and
[43:36] committed suicide in his van. Shortly
[43:39] after today's shootings, Barton's wife
[43:41] and two children were found dead at
[43:43] their home outside Atlanta. Stay with
[43:46] ABC News Overnight and Good Morning
[43:48] America for the very latest on the
[43:50] Atlanta shootings. That's our report for
[43:52] tonight. I'm Ted Cppel in Washington.
[43:54] For all of us here at ABC News, good
[43:57] night.
[43:59] Night Line is always on with
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[44:56] Duval Woods live Monday night at 8 on
[44:59] ABC.
[45:02] >> Watch Bob Mueller week nights on News 2
[45:04] at 6 and 10.
[45:09] Ladies and gentlemen, the star of
[45:12] Politically Incorrect, Bill Mars.
[45:20] Bill's guest tonight and Meera,
[45:23] Lisa Anne Walter,
[45:26] Randy West,
[45:28] and Rick Roberts. Fantastic.
[45:31] What a crowd. What a night. Thank you.
[45:34] Thank you so much for being in a good
[45:35] mood because it is a tough day. I tell
[45:37] you, there was a horrible shooting down
[45:38] in Atlanta. I'm sure you heard about
[45:40] that. But just shows you perspective.
[45:42] You know what people are really dying
[45:43] from in greater numbers? The heat. How
[45:45] many are from places where the heat is
[45:47] insufferable?
[45:49] Okay.
[45:51] Over uh I think they said about 70
[45:53] people have died already from this.
[45:55] Especially tough on the elderly. Health
[45:57] officials are telling the elderly,
[45:59] please stay indoors and if you have to
[46:02] go outside, uh please for God's sakes,
[46:04] stop wearing the black dress socks with
[46:07] your shorts. That I screwed that up
[46:10] badly, didn't I? All right. Well, okay.
[46:13] That's all right.
[46:15] Now, heat of a different kind. Uh,
[46:17] President Clinton today was hit with a
[46:20] $90,000 judgment, which he's got a pony
[46:22] up for his lying in the Paula Jones
[46:25] case.
[46:31] What are you applauding that