Wynonna's Horror! Killer's Desperate Attempt At Prison Release After Targeting Judd

Barron’s threats before his prison sentencing were so terrifying that Judd, 55, and her family were kept under 24-hour guard. The singer’s ex-husband, Arch Kelley, told Star Magazine in 1999 that he believed Barron was the man who made a phone call threatening to kill him and their son Elijah.

“Arch, this is Jack,” Kelley told Star of the chilling message. “I’m going to get you and Elijah, so you better watch out.”

Kelley continued, “I think this man was going to kill me and Elijah and kidnap Wynonna. My son and I were next on his list. I think he wanted to do away with us so that he and Wynonna could live forever together.”

Kelley revealed that Judd and Barron met on at least two occasions. Barron even used the family he murdered to coerce Judd into meeting him.

“Wynonna was told by her fan club president that a fan in California had lost his wife and young son and was raising his daughter by himself and wanted to go backstage to meet her,” Kelley explained, as the two died of what was believed to be natural causes. “Wynonna said, ‘Sure.’”

But although Barron, 57, is currently behind bars at California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility in Corcoran, California, where he’s been since April 2000, he hasn’t given up on finding freedom — and possibly Judd.

In court papers obtained from District Court for the Eastern District of California, Barron filed a Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus on April 23, 2003 to reverse the convictions against him, as claimed he is “truly innocent.”

The petition was dismissed because he failed to name the proper respondent. He was granted leave to file an amended petition to fix the mistake.

Barron filed an amended complaint on May 23, 2003, where he requested habeas corpus relief on four grounds.

In his amended petition, he alleged the following four grounds for relief, “The trial court erred in admitting an undeliverable letter from petitioner’s wife (Irene Barron) to petitioner, there was a lack of substantial evidence to support the finding of premeditation and deliberation on Count 1 (murder of Irene Barron), there was insufficient evidence to support the conviction on Count 2 (murder of petitioner’s son, Jeremy Barron), and there was insufficient evidence to support the conviction on Count 4 (murder of petitioner’s mother, Roberta Butler.)”

The respondents then filed a motion to dismiss the petition on August 21, 2003, which was granted with leave to file a second amended petition containing only petitioner’s three exhausted claims.

Barron filed a third Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus on January 3, 2005.

In the filing, he explained how an undelivered letter from his wife was ruled inadmissible in court, but was later admitted as impeachment evidence at trial.

For the second ground, he claimed there was “no evidence of a struggle or an unnatural death… no evidence of trauma” when his wife Irene was found.

For the third ground, he claimed “physical evidence does not show Jeremy’s death to be a homicide. Expert testimony shows death was due to genetic disorder heart condition.”

Jeremy’s death was the same as his daughter Ashley’s, which he was found not guilty of.

As for the fourth and final ground, he claimed his mom Roberta’s death had a lack of physical evidence of a struggle.

In the respondents’ answer to the third amended complaint, they argued that Irene was suffocated with a pillow by detailing her injuries at the time of her death, which included a bruise on her right biceps was the result of a blunt force at the time of her death.

The court papers continue that Jeremy was found dead by the babysitter in his sleep. Barron had threatened to kill him “some months before,” as he was unable to cope with the loss of his mother and often had periods of “weeping.” Barron was recalled saying the death was a “good thing.”

As for his mother Roberta, their relationship was described as “extremely tense.” She died of homicide suffocation or smothering, as her injuries were consistent with the cause of death.

“Petitioner killed at least two other members of his family in the prior three years, by means of suffocation or smothering, and that Petitioner had motive to kill Butler because she was planning to confront him to oust him from her residence,” the response read.

On August 4, 2008, the court denied Barron’s writ of habeas corpus petition.