WEBVTT 1 00:00:07.719 --> 00:00:10.759 In July of nineteen ninety nine, over the course of 2 00:00:10.880 --> 00:00:14.800 three days, one man brutally killed his entire family, and 3 00:00:14.880 --> 00:00:18.679 then he walked into his workplace an open fire on 4 00:00:18.800 --> 00:00:22.000 those who worked with him, leaving even more people dead 5 00:00:22.519 --> 00:00:26.359 before turning tail and running. What first looked like a 6 00:00:26.399 --> 00:00:30.960 financial meltdown spiraled into something far more calculated, a sequence 7 00:00:31.000 --> 00:00:34.880 of killings that began in silence at home, and as 8 00:00:34.880 --> 00:00:38.880 investigators pulled back the layers the uncovered notes trying to 9 00:00:38.920 --> 00:00:43.840 explain the madness, massive financial losses, and even eerie ties 10 00:00:43.880 --> 00:00:49.479 that connected the killer to another double homicide. This is 11 00:00:49.520 --> 00:00:54.000 the story of Mark Barton, the Killer day Trader. 12 00:00:55.960 --> 00:00:59.439 My name's Ben, I'm Nicole, and you're listening to Wicked 13 00:00:59.479 --> 00:01:02.479 and Grim, a true crime podcasting. 14 00:01:03.119 --> 00:01:04.159 The following. 15 00:01:06.799 --> 00:01:11.319 Material more mai audience listener discretion. 16 00:01:32.400 --> 00:01:35.599 You excited for the merch launch, I am. If you 17 00:01:35.640 --> 00:01:38.519 guys don't know, we launched some pretty cool merch check 18 00:01:38.519 --> 00:01:39.640 it out, just saying. 19 00:01:39.719 --> 00:01:42.159 Yeah, what we have it? We posted on Instagram. 20 00:01:42.200 --> 00:01:43.079 We did, we did? 21 00:01:43.319 --> 00:01:44.200 We find it that way. 22 00:01:44.319 --> 00:01:47.239 We have three new designs. We brought some stuff out 23 00:01:47.239 --> 00:01:48.719 of the vault, and one of the new designs is 24 00:01:48.719 --> 00:01:51.040 actually only going to be available for one week and 25 00:01:51.079 --> 00:01:55.319 then it's retired forever, so if you want it, you 26 00:01:55.400 --> 00:01:56.840 only have a week just saying. 27 00:01:57.159 --> 00:01:59.959 Yeah, and it's the coveted jack Osher, which people think 28 00:02:00.159 --> 00:02:01.959 is pretty awesome. We get a lot of requests actually 29 00:02:02.000 --> 00:02:03.319 for jack O merch we do. 30 00:02:03.480 --> 00:02:05.000 I mean, Jacko was pretty cool to start with, so 31 00:02:05.040 --> 00:02:09.479 I can't blame them. Yeah, so yeah, but also, uh, 32 00:02:09.879 --> 00:02:12.520 with this, it's coinciding with our five year anniversary of 33 00:02:12.560 --> 00:02:14.680 this podcast, and we had a five year celebration the 34 00:02:14.719 --> 00:02:17.240 other day with some like close friends and stuff. It 35 00:02:17.319 --> 00:02:18.479 was fantastic. 36 00:02:18.639 --> 00:02:21.280 Yeah, it went really well. It's crazy how you just 37 00:02:21.360 --> 00:02:25.039 like plan events though, and then they're finally there and 38 00:02:25.080 --> 00:02:27.639 then they're just gone, Like I don't know. I mean, 39 00:02:27.759 --> 00:02:31.199 obviously that's just everything, but time is there's so much 40 00:02:31.280 --> 00:02:34.759 like anticipation and excitement and then I don't know. I 41 00:02:34.759 --> 00:02:36.560 tried really hard to be like as president as I 42 00:02:36.560 --> 00:02:39.800 could in that moment. I did a mental milcause I'm like, 43 00:02:39.840 --> 00:02:41.080 you want to want to remember this. 44 00:02:41.879 --> 00:02:43.759 It was good. I make sure I remember too. Yeah, 45 00:02:43.840 --> 00:02:45.759 my heart was definitely filled after that. 46 00:02:46.000 --> 00:02:48.960 It was it was it was awesome, yeah, and good 47 00:02:49.199 --> 00:02:52.120 good for us, Like people don't celebrate things enough so 48 00:02:52.280 --> 00:02:53.039 I'm glad we did it. 49 00:02:53.120 --> 00:02:55.000 Yeah, you guys should make sure you celebrate the small 50 00:02:55.000 --> 00:02:56.759 things in your life, whether it's small, big, or whatever. 51 00:02:56.879 --> 00:03:00.199 Just celebrate yourself. You deserve it. Yes, and one you 52 00:03:00.199 --> 00:03:02.479 can actually do to help celebrate us if you want, 53 00:03:02.520 --> 00:03:04.919 I mean, no pressure, but you can join over on Patreon. 54 00:03:04.919 --> 00:03:08.120 We're in fact even doing a giveaway for that JACKO 55 00:03:08.199 --> 00:03:11.159 shirt plus some ones that have actually been retired. You'll 56 00:03:11.159 --> 00:03:12.800 never be able to purchase those shirts again, but we're 57 00:03:12.800 --> 00:03:15.680 given away over on Patreon, and some people can sign up, 58 00:03:16.039 --> 00:03:21.039 just like Eric Brett, Howard did Marritt Egan, Jen Herschel, 59 00:03:21.319 --> 00:03:23.759 and as well as a Dutch listener who just said 60 00:03:23.800 --> 00:03:26.400 there are some wicked true crime stories, which I'm assuming 61 00:03:26.400 --> 00:03:29.680 they're meaning like over like where they live, right, So 62 00:03:29.719 --> 00:03:31.319 I think we might have to look into doing another 63 00:03:31.520 --> 00:03:34.599 Dutch story here soon. Sure, I'm in so but thank 64 00:03:34.639 --> 00:03:36.439 you guys so much for signing up. If you guys 65 00:03:36.439 --> 00:03:39.240 are interested, the link is in the description of this podcast. 66 00:03:39.280 --> 00:03:42.479 But I think we should get right into the story. Okay, 67 00:03:42.759 --> 00:03:46.800 let's do it now. Most weekday mornings don't feel historic 68 00:03:46.840 --> 00:03:49.560 in any sense. In fact, they tend to feel rather 69 00:03:49.680 --> 00:03:51.639 small and not much different than the one that came 70 00:03:51.680 --> 00:03:54.240 before it. You know what, may start with an alarm 71 00:03:54.280 --> 00:03:57.159 that goes off, You hit snooze, maybe once or even twice. 72 00:03:57.360 --> 00:04:00.000 Then the shower runs, coffee bruise, and the day begins 73 00:04:00.120 --> 00:04:03.520 with no urgency, but it begins instead with more of habit. 74 00:04:04.240 --> 00:04:06.360 You might drive the same route that you always drive. 75 00:04:06.439 --> 00:04:08.719 You park in roughly the same spot you've parked in 76 00:04:09.000 --> 00:04:11.360 for who knows how long. You walk through the doors 77 00:04:11.400 --> 00:04:14.919 you walk through hundreds or even thousands of times before that. 78 00:04:15.840 --> 00:04:18.120 In fact, if someone asks you to describe the building 79 00:04:18.120 --> 00:04:21.480 in detail, you probably easily could with your eyes closed, 80 00:04:21.560 --> 00:04:24.839 just picturing it perfectly. Not because you've paid attention to 81 00:04:24.920 --> 00:04:28.000 say all these things, but because the little things have 82 00:04:28.639 --> 00:04:32.240 ingrained themselves in your mind over time. There might be 83 00:04:32.319 --> 00:04:34.800 a bulletin board that you pass by with a poster 84 00:04:34.879 --> 00:04:37.879 on it that's been there way too long. The stairs 85 00:04:37.920 --> 00:04:40.279 you climb might have one step at the bottom that 86 00:04:41.000 --> 00:04:43.920 one step just doesn't quite align with the rest, But 87 00:04:43.959 --> 00:04:46.839 it doesn't matter, because inside that building it's just work. 88 00:04:47.439 --> 00:04:51.120 It's an office with fluorescent lights maybe that hum softly overhead, 89 00:04:51.120 --> 00:04:54.759 and computers blink awake, and someone down the hall might 90 00:04:54.879 --> 00:04:58.279 laugh at something you can't quite hear. The breakroom even 91 00:04:58.279 --> 00:05:02.079 still smells faintly of reheated leftovers from yesterday and stale 92 00:05:02.160 --> 00:05:06.480 coffee grounds. The printer whirls awake and phones start to ring. 93 00:05:07.319 --> 00:05:10.360 You greet the same people you did yesterday, the same 94 00:05:10.399 --> 00:05:13.319 way you always have. You know, morning, how is your night? 95 00:05:13.439 --> 00:05:17.360 Or happy insert day of the week. Here, you sit 96 00:05:17.399 --> 00:05:20.560 at your desk, You log in and scroll through some emails. 97 00:05:21.680 --> 00:05:24.240 Places like this have their own rhythm. You learn it 98 00:05:24.279 --> 00:05:27.560 without realizing your learning it. It gets to a point 99 00:05:27.600 --> 00:05:32.560 that even disagreements feel predictable. Someone might get frustrated, someone 100 00:05:32.639 --> 00:05:35.680 might vent, someone shuts their door a little harder than usual. 101 00:05:36.360 --> 00:05:38.920 But by the end of the day people gather their 102 00:05:38.959 --> 00:05:42.720 things and go home. Whatever irritated them feels like it 103 00:05:42.720 --> 00:05:46.759 gets folded neatly into tomorrow. And that's the unspoken rule. 104 00:05:47.399 --> 00:05:50.399 No matter how stressful the job gets, no matter heavy 105 00:05:51.000 --> 00:05:54.519 or how heavy the workload becomes, no matter how sharp 106 00:05:54.680 --> 00:05:58.480 the words exchanged in the conference rooms were there's a 107 00:05:58.519 --> 00:06:02.639 line that doesn't get cross. Work is contained. Sure, you 108 00:06:02.720 --> 00:06:06.360 might decompress outside of it. You know, you leave and 109 00:06:06.439 --> 00:06:09.480 you maybe vent or talk to things about spouse or 110 00:06:09.519 --> 00:06:12.920 even messages with some work friends. But to say the least, 111 00:06:12.959 --> 00:06:15.920 most of it stays there at work, and you assume 112 00:06:15.959 --> 00:06:18.439 that people around you, no matter how quiet, no matter 113 00:06:18.439 --> 00:06:22.319 how intense, are operating within these same boundaries that you are. 114 00:06:23.399 --> 00:06:27.560 You don't scan the room for threats, you don't calculate exits, 115 00:06:28.519 --> 00:06:30.720 you don't measure the distance between yourself and the door. 116 00:06:31.040 --> 00:06:34.800 Why would you You know these people. You've shared coffee 117 00:06:34.839 --> 00:06:38.160 with them, You've complained about management with them, you sat 118 00:06:38.199 --> 00:06:41.680 beside them during long afternoons when time seems to slow down. 119 00:06:42.639 --> 00:06:45.519 They're a part of the background in your life. Not strangers, 120 00:06:45.560 --> 00:06:51.199 not dangerous, just coworkers. There are moments, though, where a 121 00:06:51.240 --> 00:06:54.720 line can get crossed, long before anyone realizes it has been. 122 00:06:56.040 --> 00:06:58.879 On one ordinary afternoon, in a building that looked like 123 00:06:59.000 --> 00:07:02.480 every other building, no one knew they were standing at 124 00:07:02.480 --> 00:07:06.000 the edge of disaster. And then when the door opened 125 00:07:06.639 --> 00:07:12.279 in walked Mark Barton now Mark Orin Barton, was born 126 00:07:12.319 --> 00:07:15.680 on April second, nineteen fifty five, in Germany. His father, 127 00:07:15.800 --> 00:07:18.959 Truman Barton, was serving in the US Air Force at 128 00:07:19.000 --> 00:07:21.639 the time, and the family spent part of Mark's early 129 00:07:21.720 --> 00:07:27.600 childhood overseas before eventually settling into Sumter, South Carolina. He 130 00:07:27.680 --> 00:07:31.160 was an only child raised in a structured military household, 131 00:07:31.160 --> 00:07:33.160 and from an early age he stood out as being 132 00:07:33.240 --> 00:07:37.040 rather intelligent, particularly very strong at math and science, but 133 00:07:37.160 --> 00:07:42.639 also he was rather emotionally distant. Classmates would later describe 134 00:07:42.680 --> 00:07:46.000 him as quiet and socially isolated. He wasn't known to 135 00:07:46.000 --> 00:07:49.480 be disruptive or aggressive in school. Instead, he kept to himself. 136 00:07:49.959 --> 00:07:54.360 He excelled academically, especially in subjects like chemistry, but he 137 00:07:54.439 --> 00:07:58.199 wasn't exactly social to say the least. He didn't build 138 00:07:58.240 --> 00:08:00.480 any strong friendships, and he was often disc decribed as 139 00:08:00.519 --> 00:08:05.639 just being withdrawn. By his mid teens, Mark began experimenting 140 00:08:05.639 --> 00:08:10.800 with drugs, particularly with hallucinogens, and what may have started 141 00:08:10.800 --> 00:08:16.519 as experimentation, it quickly escalated into heavier use. According to 142 00:08:16.639 --> 00:08:21.439 later accounts, He was even hospitalized multiple times after overdoses. 143 00:08:22.519 --> 00:08:24.839 Now those close to him suggested that the drugs that 144 00:08:24.920 --> 00:08:28.600 he used may have been an escape from feelings or alienation. 145 00:08:29.959 --> 00:08:32.399 Whether that was the case or not, though it marked 146 00:08:32.399 --> 00:08:35.799 the first documented period where life began to drift off 147 00:08:35.840 --> 00:08:40.279 course for him. Now after high school, Mark attended Clemson 148 00:08:40.399 --> 00:08:44.919 University before transferring to the University of South Carolina. During 149 00:08:44.960 --> 00:08:47.600 this time, he continued down a negative path and was 150 00:08:47.639 --> 00:08:52.240 even charged with burglary and was placed on probation. Around 151 00:08:52.240 --> 00:08:56.720 the same period, Mark sought psychiatric treatment following what sources 152 00:08:56.759 --> 00:09:01.759 described as a mental breakdown, went therapy and drug treatment, 153 00:09:02.039 --> 00:09:05.799 and though there are references that discuss ongoing mental health struggles, 154 00:09:06.000 --> 00:09:09.559 there was no formal long term diagnoses that was publicly confirmed. 155 00:09:10.440 --> 00:09:12.639 What is clear, though, is that he had periods of 156 00:09:12.720 --> 00:09:16.919 instability alternating with stretches that where he appeared to be 157 00:09:16.960 --> 00:09:19.519 focused in high functioning, a sort of flip flop back 158 00:09:19.559 --> 00:09:25.080 and forth. Despite all this, though, Mark still completed his degree, 159 00:09:25.639 --> 00:09:28.279 and it was nineteen seventy nine when he graduated from 160 00:09:28.279 --> 00:09:31.960 the University of South Carolina with a bachelor's degree in chemistry. 161 00:09:33.080 --> 00:09:34.879 At this point in his life, there was no public 162 00:09:34.919 --> 00:09:38.399 sign of violence that would later define his name. He 163 00:09:38.480 --> 00:09:42.799 was a trained chemist from a military family, very academically capable. 164 00:09:43.000 --> 00:09:45.919 He was socially reserved, sure, but there was also that 165 00:09:46.039 --> 00:09:49.000 pass that was marked by drug use and some illegal trouble, 166 00:09:49.039 --> 00:09:52.559 But there was nothing violent. That's the main takeaway now. 167 00:09:52.559 --> 00:09:56.679 After graduating, he found work in chemistry related fields and 168 00:09:56.720 --> 00:10:01.799 eventually relocated to Atlanta, where he met Deborah Spivy. The 169 00:10:01.840 --> 00:10:05.559 two even married the same year after he graduated, beginning 170 00:10:05.720 --> 00:10:08.600 what appeared to be a very conventional young marriage built 171 00:10:08.600 --> 00:10:12.799 around work and family plans. From there, in Mark's career, 172 00:10:13.519 --> 00:10:16.559 he worked a series of technical and sales jobs involving 173 00:10:16.639 --> 00:10:23.480 chemical products and industrial compounds. Eventually the couple moved to Texarkana, Texas, 174 00:10:23.720 --> 00:10:29.000 where Mark helped start a manufacturing company called TLC Manufacturing. 175 00:10:30.200 --> 00:10:33.120 By the late nineteen eighties, he had risen to president 176 00:10:33.200 --> 00:10:36.279 of the company and was earning a very strong income 177 00:10:36.559 --> 00:10:39.279 of around eighty six thousand dollars a year according to 178 00:10:39.360 --> 00:10:42.080 later records. And remember this is even in the eighties. 179 00:10:42.360 --> 00:10:44.919 H Yeah, so that's a good chunk of change, definitely. 180 00:10:45.440 --> 00:10:48.840 Now. During this period, the couple had two children, a 181 00:10:48.919 --> 00:10:51.440 son named Matthew who was born in nineteen eighty eight, 182 00:10:51.720 --> 00:10:55.919 and later a daughter named Michelle. Now. Accounts from later 183 00:10:56.000 --> 00:11:00.720 investigations described Mark as increasingly controlled and prone to mood swings, 184 00:11:01.360 --> 00:11:04.600 and soon the marriage began to deteriorate as tensions grew 185 00:11:04.639 --> 00:11:10.200 inside the home. At work, things also began to unravel too. 186 00:11:10.519 --> 00:11:15.240 In nineteen ninety, Mark's relationship with TLC Manufacturing ended and 187 00:11:15.279 --> 00:11:18.279 he later described it as an official firing meant to 188 00:11:18.279 --> 00:11:21.279 protect the company's image. But what happened next drew some 189 00:11:21.320 --> 00:11:27.200 serious attention. See, shortly after his departure, someone broke into 190 00:11:27.200 --> 00:11:33.919 the office. They stole proprietary formulas and erased computer files. Now, 191 00:11:33.960 --> 00:11:39.120 as a result, police arrested Mark on burglary related charges. Now, 192 00:11:39.159 --> 00:11:41.919 a detective involved at the time thought the break in 193 00:11:42.080 --> 00:11:45.759 might actually have been less about theft and more about 194 00:11:45.840 --> 00:11:51.320 hiding internal problems, possibly inventory discrepancies or other irregularities. 195 00:11:51.759 --> 00:11:56.240 Okay, sorry, Mark was fired, correct, Okay, and then there 196 00:11:56.320 --> 00:11:59.159 was a break and it was assumed that he was 197 00:11:59.200 --> 00:11:59.639 the one. 198 00:11:59.759 --> 00:12:04.360 Mark is arrested on burglary related charges regarding this incident, Yes, okay, 199 00:12:05.080 --> 00:12:07.919 But I did say someone broke into the company, and 200 00:12:07.960 --> 00:12:12.679 I mean someone very specifically, because we don't actually know 201 00:12:13.039 --> 00:12:16.000 for sure, Okay for sure, and I'll tell you exactly 202 00:12:16.039 --> 00:12:18.799 why here. So that very same day, a company board 203 00:12:18.840 --> 00:12:21.879 member contacted police to say that an agreement had been 204 00:12:21.919 --> 00:12:26.159 reached with Mark and the charges were dropped. So there 205 00:12:26.200 --> 00:12:29.200 was no conviction or anything. There was no confirmation that 206 00:12:29.320 --> 00:12:34.120 technically it was Mark, but it was Mark, Okay, if 207 00:12:34.639 --> 00:12:36.000 you know what I mean, right, let go. 208 00:12:36.120 --> 00:12:37.559 You say it, but it was Mark. 209 00:12:37.679 --> 00:12:39.960 It was him, but they reached a personal agreement where 210 00:12:40.000 --> 00:12:43.000 law enforcement was not involved, so there is no documentation 211 00:12:43.399 --> 00:12:44.120 that he did it. 212 00:12:44.440 --> 00:12:47.159 Okay, I see, I just wanted to clarify there. But 213 00:12:47.519 --> 00:12:50.879 I see why you kind of why I was confused, 214 00:12:50.879 --> 00:12:53.320 because you were sort of hiding it for a second, for. 215 00:12:53.279 --> 00:12:53.919 A hot second. 216 00:12:54.000 --> 00:12:54.200 Yes. 217 00:12:54.919 --> 00:12:57.840 Now, following this fallout, Mark moved his family back to 218 00:12:57.919 --> 00:13:00.639 Georgia and he attempted to start another small business, but 219 00:13:00.720 --> 00:13:03.799 it didn't appear to gain any sort of traction. Eventually, 220 00:13:03.879 --> 00:13:05.799 he returned to sales work, taking a job with a 221 00:13:05.840 --> 00:13:08.759 chemical company. But at the company he met a young 222 00:13:08.799 --> 00:13:13.039 receptionist named Leah Ann Lang. Now, she was married at 223 00:13:13.080 --> 00:13:15.919 the time, and I mean so was Mark, but he 224 00:13:16.000 --> 00:13:19.559 later admitted they began an affair in nineteen ninety three. 225 00:13:19.840 --> 00:13:23.159 According to his own statements, he changed his appearance during 226 00:13:23.159 --> 00:13:27.039 this period, buying new clothes using tanning beds, and he 227 00:13:27.080 --> 00:13:30.799 began spending more time away from home. Now his wife, 228 00:13:30.840 --> 00:13:34.120 Deborah also grew suspicious of this, and there were incidents 229 00:13:34.120 --> 00:13:37.360 of frequent jealousy and arguments where she questioned him about 230 00:13:37.440 --> 00:13:40.039 signs that she saw that he might be seeing someone else. 231 00:13:41.120 --> 00:13:43.200 It was around this time that Mark took out a 232 00:13:43.240 --> 00:13:46.799 life insurance policy on his wife Deborah, which was valued 233 00:13:46.840 --> 00:13:49.919 at roughly six hundred thousand dollars. 234 00:13:50.399 --> 00:13:51.279 In the nineties. 235 00:13:51.600 --> 00:13:56.679 Correct. Yeah, so an idea. The idea of this, he claimed, 236 00:13:56.720 --> 00:13:59.240 came from her, and it was meant as a financial 237 00:13:59.279 --> 00:14:02.559 protection or the family in case of anything happening. The 238 00:14:02.639 --> 00:14:04.720 exact reason why we all take out any sort of 239 00:14:04.720 --> 00:14:06.279 insurance policy, right, Yeah. 240 00:14:06.120 --> 00:14:08.399 Affection life insurance is a good thing to have. 241 00:14:08.559 --> 00:14:12.480 Yeah, But he claimed that idea came from Deborah herself. Then, 242 00:14:12.480 --> 00:14:14.720 in the late summer of nineteen ninety three, over Labor 243 00:14:14.799 --> 00:14:17.840 Day weekend, Mark's wife, Deborah Barton, traveled with her mother, 244 00:14:18.200 --> 00:14:22.799 Eloise Spivy, to a lakeside trailer near Lake Weice in Alabama, 245 00:14:23.440 --> 00:14:26.120 and according to Mark, he stayed behind in Georgia with 246 00:14:26.159 --> 00:14:31.039 the kids. But at some point during that visit something 247 00:14:31.120 --> 00:14:35.440 went terribly wrong. Now, soon after Deborah Barton and her 248 00:14:35.440 --> 00:14:38.799 mother Eloise went camping to that lake, they were soon 249 00:14:38.879 --> 00:14:42.440 found dead inside the trailer. During this trip, both of 250 00:14:42.480 --> 00:14:46.039 them had been attacked with what investigators described as a 251 00:14:46.080 --> 00:14:49.559 sharp or blunt heavy instrument, something that was like struck 252 00:14:50.320 --> 00:14:53.360 the injuries were severe, and the scene didn't look like 253 00:14:53.399 --> 00:14:55.720 a break in of any sorts. Cash had had been 254 00:14:55.799 --> 00:14:59.080 left behind, alongside other valuables, which made the robbery look 255 00:14:59.519 --> 00:15:03.480 very unlikely of being exactly that a robbery. 256 00:15:03.799 --> 00:15:07.159 And they're camping right, exactly Gosh, that is not something 257 00:15:07.200 --> 00:15:09.639 you hear often when people are camping now. 258 00:15:09.679 --> 00:15:13.360 One investigator later described the scene as driven by anger 259 00:15:13.759 --> 00:15:17.720 rather than theft, and almost immediately attention turned towards Mark, 260 00:15:18.159 --> 00:15:21.440 and several factors raised suspicion, the fact that he had 261 00:15:21.519 --> 00:15:24.159 recently taken out that large life insurance policy on Deborah 262 00:15:24.240 --> 00:15:28.720 only weeks before the killing, in fact just yes, also 263 00:15:28.799 --> 00:15:30.679 with the fact that he was involved in an affair 264 00:15:31.080 --> 00:15:34.200 with Leanne Lang, a relationship that friend said was becoming 265 00:15:34.360 --> 00:15:38.799 rather serious, and investigators began to wonder if Deborah's death 266 00:15:39.200 --> 00:15:43.600 might clear the way for his new life. Police questioned 267 00:15:43.600 --> 00:15:47.200 Mark extensively, and according to later accounts, he appeared very 268 00:15:47.200 --> 00:15:52.240 calm during interviews, sometimes almost even challenging against the investigators. 269 00:15:53.080 --> 00:15:55.720 He insisted that he'd been in Atlanta during the murders 270 00:15:55.759 --> 00:15:59.600 and denied any sort of involvement now, unfortunately without witnesses 271 00:15:59.600 --> 00:16:02.360 placing him at the campground authorities were forced to rely 272 00:16:02.440 --> 00:16:07.720 on forensic evidence alone. Now, at one point they managed 273 00:16:07.759 --> 00:16:11.879 to search Mark's car and investigators used luminol, a chemical 274 00:16:11.919 --> 00:16:14.240 that reacts with blood, of course makes it glow right, 275 00:16:15.440 --> 00:16:19.000 and they received positive reactions on parts of the vehicle, 276 00:16:19.080 --> 00:16:23.200 including the seat belt and ignition area. Now, Mark claimed 277 00:16:23.200 --> 00:16:26.039 he had no explanation at first, and later suggested maybe 278 00:16:26.039 --> 00:16:28.200 the blood might have come from a cut on his 279 00:16:28.240 --> 00:16:31.240 finger months earlier. And he also refused to provide a 280 00:16:31.240 --> 00:16:34.840 blood sample or DNA sample of any sort to try 281 00:16:34.919 --> 00:16:38.360 and do a comparison. He also just declined to take 282 00:16:38.360 --> 00:16:41.399 a polygraph test too, So why would he give out anything? 283 00:16:41.480 --> 00:16:45.159 Right, Yeah, but that would be spots that after you 284 00:16:45.200 --> 00:16:49.039 committed something like you're reaching for your seatbelt, you're starting 285 00:16:49.039 --> 00:16:49.960 your vehicle. 286 00:16:49.799 --> 00:16:52.200 Exactly, so you have blood in your hand. But I mean, 287 00:16:52.200 --> 00:16:55.440 he's right though, technically speaking, Devil's advocate here, you have 288 00:16:55.440 --> 00:16:57.240 a cut in your finger, blood will get in. 289 00:16:57.240 --> 00:17:00.600 The same spot, I guess. But also I could see 290 00:17:00.600 --> 00:17:03.120 those those places being missed when cleaning up. 291 00:17:04.160 --> 00:17:11.480 Right Now, I don't exactly understand fully how this search 292 00:17:11.519 --> 00:17:14.480 of his vehicle must have worked, because, like I'm assuming 293 00:17:14.519 --> 00:17:17.359 they don't have a warrant to seize his vehicle because 294 00:17:17.599 --> 00:17:19.400 first of all, they didn't have a warrant to clearly 295 00:17:19.440 --> 00:17:24.960 get his DNA. He declined, and after this, additional testing 296 00:17:25.640 --> 00:17:29.400 could not be completed because Mark apparently was still driving 297 00:17:29.440 --> 00:17:33.039 it and he said he spilt soft drink in the car, 298 00:17:33.079 --> 00:17:38.039 which destroyed any potential traces of what was what was there? 299 00:17:40.000 --> 00:17:43.240 Wow, Okay, that seems too convenient. 300 00:17:42.960 --> 00:17:47.440 Rather convenient. Yes, So I don't understand exactly the situation 301 00:17:47.559 --> 00:17:49.200 on how they were able to look at the car 302 00:17:49.200 --> 00:17:50.880 in the first place. I guess he just gave them 303 00:17:50.920 --> 00:17:54.799 permission and what they found was not strong enough to 304 00:17:54.799 --> 00:17:56.759 get a warrant, and he was still driving it and 305 00:17:56.839 --> 00:17:58.480 just destroyed what they had found. 306 00:17:58.599 --> 00:18:02.279 He was confident in his cleanup job with the vehicle, 307 00:18:02.359 --> 00:18:03.279 so he gave them. 308 00:18:03.119 --> 00:18:07.319 That, I guess. So now, despite strong enough suspicion, the 309 00:18:07.400 --> 00:18:10.880 case stalled. There were no fingerprints tying him to the scene, 310 00:18:10.920 --> 00:18:13.839 no murder weapon, and no definitive forensic link. There was 311 00:18:13.960 --> 00:18:17.720 just nothing. Investigators didn't have enough to arrest him or 312 00:18:17.759 --> 00:18:19.920 even to charge him, and thus the murder of Deborah 313 00:18:19.920 --> 00:18:24.920 Barton and her mother remained unsolved, and funny enough, within 314 00:18:24.920 --> 00:18:29.119 a week of Deborah's death, Leanne was reportedly spending nights 315 00:18:29.160 --> 00:18:29.960 at Mark's home. 316 00:18:30.119 --> 00:18:33.920 Oh my gosh, I freaking hate that. And I'm just 317 00:18:33.960 --> 00:18:37.279 so pissed because that is like the mother of your kids. Yep, 318 00:18:37.640 --> 00:18:41.200 that I don't know. That is just never okay. Well 319 00:18:41.599 --> 00:18:43.039 to take that from your children. 320 00:18:43.240 --> 00:18:47.039 Not only that, but within months her divorce was finalized 321 00:18:47.079 --> 00:18:50.200 and their relationship was now out in the open. 322 00:18:50.599 --> 00:18:53.079 I can't imagine the kids wanted much to do with 323 00:18:53.160 --> 00:18:54.359 him after all misshit. 324 00:18:55.559 --> 00:18:57.920 And then to take it one step further in nineteen 325 00:18:58.000 --> 00:19:01.440 ninety five, the two of them were then married. Cool 326 00:19:02.359 --> 00:19:05.839 Now Mark did have his two kids, and essentially he 327 00:19:05.920 --> 00:19:08.400 had a new family and they were settling into life 328 00:19:08.480 --> 00:19:12.119 in Georgia. Mark continued to work as a chemical salesperson 329 00:19:12.200 --> 00:19:16.759 and presented himself as a smart, successful professional. Neighbors said 330 00:19:16.799 --> 00:19:19.880 he was friendly, playful with the kids, and sometimes even goofy, 331 00:19:20.279 --> 00:19:22.759 someone who enjoyed playing video games with his son and 332 00:19:22.880 --> 00:19:26.160 joking around that sort of thing. He simply seemed like 333 00:19:26.160 --> 00:19:28.720 a devoted father trying to move on after tragedy. In 334 00:19:28.759 --> 00:19:33.559 their eyes, however, the darkness still lingered in him. Friends 335 00:19:33.559 --> 00:19:39.119 and neighbors also described some mood swings and controlling behavior leanne. 336 00:19:39.200 --> 00:19:42.079 In fact, according to people who knew her, sometimes Eve 337 00:19:42.200 --> 00:19:45.720 said that she even appeared uneasy around him. Some said 338 00:19:45.720 --> 00:19:49.000 she seemed quieter when he was nearby, as if she 339 00:19:49.079 --> 00:19:53.039 was very careful about what she said. Then, there were 340 00:19:53.079 --> 00:19:58.119 also troubling incidents involving the kids. In the mid nineteen nineties, Michelle, 341 00:19:58.160 --> 00:20:01.599 who was still very young his daughter, reportedly told a 342 00:20:01.680 --> 00:20:06.440 daycare worker that her father had touched her inappropriately. Now 343 00:20:06.440 --> 00:20:10.440 the allegation triggered evaluations and legal review, and a psychologist 344 00:20:10.559 --> 00:20:13.480 involved in the custody process reportedly stated that Mark was 345 00:20:13.680 --> 00:20:18.440 quote certainly capable of homicide. 346 00:20:18.759 --> 00:20:22.039 Oh my gosh, I just despise this guy. 347 00:20:23.240 --> 00:20:27.359 Still because of how young she was and not understanding 348 00:20:27.400 --> 00:20:30.920 perhaps what she was saying or what she was communicating. 349 00:20:32.200 --> 00:20:36.160 There was no physical evidence, no charges were filed, and 350 00:20:36.200 --> 00:20:38.960 Mark remained full custody. 351 00:20:39.839 --> 00:20:42.640 Yeah, got away with something else again, yep. 352 00:20:42.480 --> 00:20:43.839 And life just continued forward. 353 00:20:44.160 --> 00:20:47.079 Oh my gosh, this is so awkward and comfortable. What 354 00:20:47.119 --> 00:20:47.799 a piece of shit. 355 00:20:48.039 --> 00:20:52.559 Yeah, he's a douche canoe now. Meanwhile, the unresolved Alabama 356 00:20:52.599 --> 00:20:57.200 case never fully disappeared. Law enforcement had never charged him, 357 00:20:57.200 --> 00:21:00.200 but the suspicion was still there. The insurance pay from 358 00:21:00.240 --> 00:21:03.720 Debor's death eventually resulted in a large settlement, giving Mark 359 00:21:03.799 --> 00:21:07.119 access to significant funds, and part of that money was 360 00:21:07.200 --> 00:21:09.839 placed in a trust for his children. But the payout 361 00:21:09.880 --> 00:21:13.119 also gave him a lot of financial freedom, and eventually, 362 00:21:13.200 --> 00:21:16.400 by the late nineteen nineties, Mark's focus well it shifted 363 00:21:16.440 --> 00:21:21.319 away from traditional work and towards a rapidly growing new industry, 364 00:21:22.279 --> 00:21:27.400 internet day trading. When the stock market was booming, Now, 365 00:21:27.400 --> 00:21:30.720 the Internet was changing how people invested in the stocks, 366 00:21:30.960 --> 00:21:34.200 and a new culture was growing around something that was 367 00:21:34.240 --> 00:21:37.119 called day trading, where people buy and sell stocks rapidly, 368 00:21:37.200 --> 00:21:40.000 sometimes dozens or even hundreds of times a day, chasing 369 00:21:40.079 --> 00:21:45.400 quick profits and turnarounds. Mark fell hard into this world. 370 00:21:46.240 --> 00:21:49.799 He opened accounts at brokerage firms including Momentum Securities and 371 00:21:50.039 --> 00:21:55.119 all Tech Investment Group in Atlanta's Buckhead Financial District. Now, 372 00:21:55.160 --> 00:21:58.160 these offices, they were built for day traders. There was 373 00:21:58.319 --> 00:22:01.839 rows of computer terminals, real time data feeds, and people 374 00:22:01.920 --> 00:22:07.839 constantly watching the markets rise and fall. At first, Mark 375 00:22:08.119 --> 00:22:11.079 just kind of fit in. He presented himself as an 376 00:22:11.160 --> 00:22:15.240 experienced and financially secure and individual, and records showed he 377 00:22:15.559 --> 00:22:18.559 claimed a substantial net worth, and coworkers later said he 378 00:22:18.599 --> 00:22:23.279 seemed very confident, even enthusiastic about day trading now. Like 379 00:22:23.319 --> 00:22:25.599 many day traders at the time, he focused heavily on 380 00:22:25.720 --> 00:22:29.359 volatile internet stocks, the kind that could rise and crash 381 00:22:29.480 --> 00:22:32.160 within minutes alone, and if you were on top of it, 382 00:22:32.480 --> 00:22:36.200 you could make money. But the markets highs while they 383 00:22:36.240 --> 00:22:40.119 were matched by equally brutal lows, and as such, by 384 00:22:40.119 --> 00:22:44.119 the summer of nineteen ninety nine, Mark's losses were mounting fast. 385 00:22:45.160 --> 00:22:48.400 According to brokerage officials, he had lost around one hundred 386 00:22:48.440 --> 00:22:53.400 and five thousand dollars in roughly seven weeks alone at Momentum, 387 00:22:53.400 --> 00:22:56.799 which was only one of the brokerage firms he was at. 388 00:22:57.359 --> 00:23:00.759 Some reports even suggested his total losses over the previous 389 00:23:00.839 --> 00:23:04.079 year could have reached several hundred thousand dollars as well. 390 00:23:04.279 --> 00:23:09.000 The losses triggered something else, pressure from the firms themselves. 391 00:23:10.279 --> 00:23:13.920 So day trading often involves what they call margin accounts, 392 00:23:14.200 --> 00:23:19.079 especially they're sorry essentially borrowed money used to increase buying power. 393 00:23:19.559 --> 00:23:21.839 It's just kind of like borrowing from a bank situation. 394 00:23:22.039 --> 00:23:24.640 You have the money, but it's technically not yours. And 395 00:23:24.640 --> 00:23:28.720 when stocks fall sharply brokerage. They issue margin calls, basically 396 00:23:28.720 --> 00:23:32.359 demanding traders to posit more money to cover than those losses. 397 00:23:33.480 --> 00:23:38.119 Now Mark actually began struggling to meet those demands. His 398 00:23:38.200 --> 00:23:41.480 account at Momentum was reportedly restricted after he failed to 399 00:23:41.480 --> 00:23:46.640 cover a margin call. Then, trying to regain access, Mark 400 00:23:46.680 --> 00:23:48.839 wrote a fifty thousand dollars check to the firm, but 401 00:23:48.920 --> 00:23:53.640