Mark O. Barton was a
spree killer from
Stockbridge,
Georgia, who, on
July 31,
1999,
shot and
killed 9 people, injuring 13 more. The shootings occurred at two
Atlanta day trading corporationss[?] --
Momentum Securities[?] and the
All-Tech Investment Group[?]. It is believed that Barton was motivated by
$105,000 in losses over the previous two months. Barton commited
suicide 4 hours later, at an
Acworth gas station, having been spotted by the
police.
Following the shootings, police found that Barton's wife and 2 children (Leigh Ann Vandiver Barton[?], Matthew David Barton[?], and Mychelle Elizabeth Barton[?]) had been murdered by hammer blows, a few days before. The children had then been placed facedown in a bathtub[?]. Barton had been a suspect after the 1993 murders of his first wife, Deborah Spivey Barton[?], and her mother, Eloise Powell Spivey[?]; who been beaten to death at Riverside Campground[?], Weiss Lake[?], in northeastern Alabama.
- Immediately prior to the shootings he was heard to say:
- "I hope this doesn't ruin your trading day."
- "There may be similarities between these deaths and the death of my first wife Debra Spivey. However, I deny killing her and her mother. There is no reason for me to lie now."