Tuesday, August 6, 2019

The Murder of Gabby Bledsoe


Gabrielle ‘Gabby’ Bledsoe was only 16 years-old when she was brutally murdered inside her family’s home in Tulsa, Oklahoma during March 2013.

Gabby’s mother Lacrecia Bledsoe last saw Gabby alive on March 1st, 2013. It was a Friday evening, and Lacrecia decided to spend the night at a friend’s house. Gabby stayed home that night; however Lacrecia was not worried about leaving her daughter home alone. Gabby’s family members described her as a responsible girl—she was straight-A student and was not known to get into trouble. 

Like many teens her age, Gabby also frequently used Twitter. Around 7:00 PM on that Friday evening, she tweeted, “Have the house to myself everybody gone.” She then continued to tweet a few more times that evening about typical things, such as her love for Justin Timberlake’s music and her plans to make dinner. Gabby posted her final tweet at 9:24pm—it simply read, “I guess i can fix me something to eat.” Nothing in Gabby’s tweets indicated that anything was amiss that night, and it appeared all was calm inside her house.

Unfortunately, things did not remain that way. At some point throughout that night, a person entered Gabby’s home and violently stabbed her to death. Gabby’s mother Lacrecia found her body the following morning upon returning from her friend’s house. Police were called, and the search for Gabby’s killer immediately began. 

Investigators interviewed other residents in the Bledsoe’s neighborhood and were reportedly met with resistance by certain individuals. In fact, once news about Gabby’s murder began to circulate, investigators stated that they believed “someone in the neighborhood witnessed something or knows information on the teen’s murder.” 

Just days later, investigators announced they had a person of interest: 31-year-old James Barber—a man who also happens to be an ex-boyfriend of Lacrecia Bledsoe. Barber was arrested on March 12th, 2013 on unrelated charges. In June 2013, he pleaded guilty to gun and drug charges and was sentenced to eight years in prison.

Barber has not been charged with anything related to Gabby’s death, but both investigators and Gabby’s family members have made it clear that they believe he is responsible. In August 2013, a detective investigating Gabby’s murder stated, “some evidence has come back, and it wasn’t what we needed to file charges,” in regard to Barber. 

The detective continued to explain that they were still investigating other evidence at that time, however years have passed, and Barber has still not been charged with anything related to Gabby’s case. He has now finished his sentence on the unrelated charges.

Investigators are asking anybody with information that could help solve Gabby’s case to come forward. If you have any information that could help the investigation, please leave an anonymous tip by calling 918-596-2677.

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