Murder of Christopher Barrios, Jr.

Christopher Michael Barrios, Jr. (2 January 2001 – 8 March 2007) was a 6-year-old boy who was raped and murdered in Brunswick, Georgia, on March 8, 2007. His body was discovered on March 15, 2007, just a few miles from where he disappeared. Arrest: George Edenfield, David Edenfield and Peggy Edenfield were all accused of Christopher's abduction and murder. A fourth person, Donald Dale, who originally was charged with tampering with evidence and concealing a body, has since pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of lying to police. Superior Court Judge Stephen Scarlett accepted the plea and transferred Dale to a mental health facility and banished him from Glynn County. Peggy Edenfield testified in the case against her husband David and has also agreed to testify against her son George during his trial. In exchange for her testimony, Peggy would not face the death penalty. David Edenfield murder trial: David Edenfield's trial began on September 29, 2009 and ended on October 5, 2009. The prosecution relied heavily on Edenfield's videotaped confession and his wife's testimony. Dr. Jamie Downs, the medical examiner who performed Christopher's autopsy, also testified to the extent of trauma found on the body and also the manner of death, which Edenfield's taped confession corroborated. Closing arguments began on the fifth day and the jury was sent to deliberate that afternoon. On October 5, with only two hours of deliberation, the jury came back with a verdict of "guilty on all counts". On October 6 David Edenfield was sentenced to death. George Edenfield's competency: On August 3, 2010, George Edenfield was ruled mentally incompetent to stand trial and was committed to a state mental hospital for evaluation. It will be the determination of psychologists and other mental health experts whether or not Edenfield will have a strong likelihood of becoming competent. Prior assaults: David Edenfield was charged in 1994 for committing incest with his daughter and pleaded guilty. He was sentenced to 10 years probation. George Edenfield was convicted of two counts of child molestation and given probation in May 1997. In September 2006, he was indicted for violating his probation by living less than 1,000 feet (300 m) from a park in downtown Brunswick, and was ordered to move. On March 5, 2007, days before Christopher was abducted, Edenfield was sentenced to 10 years probation. A state law banning convicted sex offenders from living within a thousand feet of parks, playgrounds, child-care facilities, schools, churches, swimming pools and school bus stops, was passed in 2006. However, the school bus stop provision was blocked by a federal judge pending his decision in a suit claiming this provision to be unconstitutional. George Edenfield and his family lived within just a few feet of a school bus stop that Christopher regularly used to go to school. Soap opera photo: In October 2008, Christopher's photo showed up on an episode of General Hospital: Night Shift. In the episode, actor Billy Dee Williams receives a letter and photo from a son he abandoned. The producers of the show have stated that they are unsure how they got the photo and offered an apology. In addition, they promised to air a series of public service announcements in Christopher's honor. The attorney for the family has filed a civil suit against the SOAPnet channel, which airs the soap opera, claiming invasion of privacy.