A former NFL player’s mistress kidnapped and killed his wife after learning the couple was planning a trip together, Clayton police said Friday.
Lisa Brown, 49 of Lithonia, kidnapped Sandra Barnett, 58, from her home Wednesday, said Officer Charlene Watson-Fraser, spokesperson for Clayton Police. Barnett is the wife of former NFL player Buster Barnett, who was drafted by the Buffalo Bills as a tight end in 1981, Watson-Fraser said.
Barnett was a teacher at McNair Middle School in DeKalb County, according to WSB-TV. She taught students with special needs.
The details were released a day after the pair was found dead in an SUV after a chase along I-20 in Alabama. On Thursday, police said Brown shot Barnett before turning the gun on herself.
Buster Barnett, 56, told detectives Brown came to his place of employment upset about the trip on Wednesday, Watson-Fraser said. She then headed to the Barnett home in Ellenwood, Watson-Fraser said.
“She was upset about a trip that his wife was going on with him and it was one she didn’t know about,” Watson-Fraser said.
Sandra Barnett was on the phone with a friend when Brown showed up with a gun, Watson-Fraser said. The friend could hear what sounded like a struggle and then couldn’t reach Barnett on the phone. She then called a male friend to check on Barnett
The man immediately drove past the Barnett’s house and saw a woman in the driveway by a Dodge Durango but by the time he circled back it was too late, Watson-Fraser said.
“When he turned back around, the SUV was gone,” Watson-Fraser said.
Law officers spotted Brown’s Dodge Durango in Carroll County on Thursday and pursued it into Alabama, Watson-Fraser said.
The car stopped on Interstate 20 in Cleburne County, Ala., where both women were found with fatal gunshots, Watson-Fraser said.
“The driver stopped in the middle of the highway, pulled out a handgun and shot (Barnett) and then turned the gun on herself,” Watson-Fraser said.
The Durango driven by Brown and her Lithonia home were in Buster Barnett’s name, Watson-Fraser said. “He said he was trying to help her out.”
About the Author
