Fairfax Sheriff's Wife Dead - Why So Little News?

Washington Post ^ | 15 Feb 2003 | Tom Jackman

[StayAt HomeMother]

Fairfax County Sheriff Stan G. Barry's wife was found shot to death in their Centreville home early yesterday....

Megan Owen Barry, 30, ... had been working as a lobbyist at the state Capitol on Thursday night. She returned home Thursday, and Stan Barry called police about 12:30 a.m. yesterday and reported a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The sheriff apparently had stepped outside briefly and returned to find his wife lying fatally wounded inside. ...

Police sources said the evidence at the scene was consistent with suicide. An autopsy was performed yesterday, but no determination on a cause of death was released. ...

Megan and Stan Barry were married in November ... Stan Barry has two daughters from a previous marriage. ... She worked as a lobbyist for advocates for a new seat belt law.

[StayAt HomeMother]

How bizarre! This has got to be the basis of a "Law and Order" episode.

Suicide? Why would she kill herself? They had a serious fight going and he left her alone with a gun? Where were their two young children?

Murder? The first suspect is always the spouse. The Post says, "Police sources said the evidence at the scene was consistent with suicide." Of course, the police work for the sheriff. "The sheriff apparently had stepped outside briefly and returned to find his wife lying fatally wounded inside." He just "stepped outside briefly" and did not hear a gunshot? How far did he step?

Next suspect? She had been lobbying for a new seat belt law which just failed, 49-48. Do we have some political intrigue? (Should I get a tin foil hat?) How could the killer get past the sheriff who had "stepped outside briefly?"

Next question: I watched several newscasts last night and today. Why have I have not yet heard anything on the news about this?

The sheriff's father held office as a Republican but the sheriff ran as a Dem. Others can describe how GOP campaign money ended up in his hands. He is up for re-election this fall.

(This is my first posting. Please be tolerant of any format errors.)

[OldFriend]

Did she shoot herself twice in the back of the head?

[nvcdl]

Sometime a political/work seatback defeat can push a emotionly unstable person over the edge. The seatbelt bill
was defeated that day - she probably drove home from Richmond and killed herself in a moment of extreme depression.

Suicide would seem to be the likely senario.

[Ligeia]

She worked as a lobbyist for advocates for a new seat belt law.

The WP article says Mrs. Barry was a graduate of W&M and UVa Law School. It's early still and the possibility exists she had a history of mental health problems that haven't come to light in the press. How terribly sad for the family.

For those who don't know, Sheriff Barry is the son of RINO Warren Barry that we like to skewer on this forum for his voting record in the Virginia General Assembly. Sheriff Barry ran as a Democrat and defeated the sitting Republican sheriff due to (as I understood it) low morale in the department.

If this is indeed a case of suicide, I can't help but wonder if she was despondent over the outcome of the defeat of the seat belt legislation they worked so hard on. The proponents came the closest they've ever come getting the bill enacted and press accounts said the testimony was emotional and intense.

A quick look at at the various local news media sites I have bookmarked support your point of a lack of coverage. Out of a half dozen news outlets or so, only the WP is covering her death.

[leadpenny]

Nothing in Saturday's Washington Times.
Is it me or does there seem to be more to this story?

[Ligeia]

I've been in and out of the car much of the day and if anything's been on the radio, I've missed it. Not much local news coverage on the country music stations, though.

I checked the websites of WMAL, WTOP, Newschannel8, WJLA, WRC, WT and nothing. Plenty of stories about the one to two feet of snow on the way and crime stories from elsewhere but nothing on this. It seems odd to me but perhaps in their eyes, the story isn't sensational enough to merit coverage.

[CyberAnt]

"consistant with suicide"

Hmmmmm? As a police officer, I'm sure he had the opportunity to view a great deal of suicide sites. I think he would know what the site would look like.

Not a good sign.

[Khepera]

I always hand my wife a gun during arguments and tell her where the ammo is. then I leave to go see my girlfriend.

[leadpenny]

The thing that comes to my mind is that the Fairfax Sheriff's Department is going to be very busy with the media and security when the sniper trial starts. It doesn't need these kind of distractions.

[StayAt HomeMother]

Perhaps all the other media outlets are being sensitive to what is clearly a tragedy for this family. Nope, that does not seem likely.

This is a violent death that apparently is being investigated by the subordinates of the husband. Sample question: Was it his police gun that killed her?

The poilitcal tie in is interesting also. As Legia wrote, the testimony was emotional and intense on the seat belt debate. The seat belt vote was a wild one. It passed Thursday night, 49 to 48. But then on Friday morning, a parliamentary maneuver resulted in a revote. After a night of intense lobbying on both sides and a brief debate, the votes was 48 to 49. Three changed their votes to go against it; two more switched to vote for it.

The whole seat belt vote now appears to be about politics, not seat belts. As the Post says, the democrat governor "Warner, who repeatedly lobbied Democratic lawmakers to get the bill through unfriendly committees and onto the House floor, issued a statement today expressing disappointment. ... Angry Democrats and road safety advocates accused Republicans of killing the measure rather than allow Warner to succeed on one of his priority bills."

Somehow this has become "a primary piece of legislation for the governor of Virginia." But enough to drive this woman over the edge?

[Ligeia]

Frankly, everyone I know is "over the edge." Not enough to commit acts of violence, certainly, but the anxiety level is so high it's affecting job performance and personal relationships. This editorial cartoon was in the Richmond paper a few weeks ago and doesn't even mention the sniper attacks or the orange alert and all that entails. Add to that the winteriest of winters since '96 and you have the fixin's for group PTSD. Thank goodness tomorrow's Sunday -- I need to get to church!

RTD: America's Tribulations

[Ligeia]

Fairfax Sheriff's Department is going to be very busy. . . when the sniper trial starts. It doesn't need these kind of distractions.

So true. Doesn't the sniper trial begin in the fall? Seems like I heard fall mentioned when reading about the ill-timed release of Chief Moose's book. Sheriff Barry may need to step aside if this case interferes in any way with his professional responsibilities.

[Ligeia]

I'm so sorry! I'm not too good at playing the whodunit speculation game. I can't remember the last Agatha Christie I read. Someone else surely will chime in and play Nancy Drew :^)

[connectthedots]

Maybe they should turn the investigation over to Montgomery County Sheriff Charles Moose.

[Thinkin' Gal]

Megan and Stan Barry were married in November

She must have thought this was quicker than divorce. Or he did.

[WellsFargo94]

...she probably drove home from Richmond and killed herself in a moment of extreme depression.

But did she have her seatbelt on?

[MirandaGirl]

Political intrigue? If this is a suicide and she had worked hard on a bill that had just failed what the hell would make you atomatically suspect someone kiled her rather than she got depressed? You watched the news, it didn't say anything...bfd...the news didn't cover it, newspapers did. The washington post only ran a story because Senator Jay O'Brien mentioned it on the senate floor on Feb. 15., he found out somehow and said that they would all miss her. And serious fight...were you there? How would you know, how would I know? There is no way to know...oh and as for Sheriff Barry's re-election, if he was so suspicious in all of this then why did over 100,000 Fairfax County voters choose him to run thier law enforcement/jail for 4 more years? before you open your mouth know what you're talking about. This could have been an unstable young woman who felt she had nothing left or she thought all her hard work never added up, who knows? You are blowing everything out of proportion and adding drama and jumping to conclusions. It wasn't ever the basis of a "Law and Order" episode, you said things to make it seem so.

[Admin Moderator]

Welcome to Free Republic.

Cool it with the personal attacks.

[onceagain]

It's been a year.. still no real questions answered..check the phone calls made that nite.. first one was not to 911, second call was not to 911...sad to report but person who received first call that nite passed away suddenly May 14, 2004.. many close to him felt the angony of holding all that information in just ate him up...many voters voted for the current sheriff but many of them were clueless to the death.. amazing how far someone can get just on a GED too!!

[Gabz]

I don't remember who is the keeper of the revival of old threads ping list........is it you????