GA v David Edenfield - Victim: Christopher Barrios
Case Background
David Edenfield is accused of child rape and first degree murder in the March 8, 2007 sexual assault and murder of 6-year-old Christopher Barrios, Jr. of Brunswick, Georgia. Also charged in the indictment are his wife, Peggy Edenfield, and their adult son, George David Edenfield.
It is alleged that George Edenfield lured Christopher to the mobile home he shared with his parents, David and Peggy Edenfield. While in the process of both George and David Edenfield taking turns sodomizing the boy, it is alleged that someone choked him to death. Peggy Edenfield is being charged for her part in the sexual molestation of Christopher as well as his murder.
A friend of the family, Donald Dale was also arrested and charged with aiding the Edenfields in hiding Christopher’s body. He entered into a plea agreement and was sentenced earlier this year. He had no involvement in the murder or sexual assault.
The Disappearance:
Christopher Barrios was reported missing by his father at approximately 8:15 p.m. on the night of March 8, 2007 from the Canal Mobile Home Park. Christopher had been last observed playing on a swing set by himself at approximately 6:15 p.m. in a neighbor’s yard. When he failed to come home by 8 p.m., and after his father searched the mobile home park, police were called.
The Search:
The search for Christopher began at 8:30 p.m. March 8, 2007.
An extensive search of the areas surrounding the mobile home park was conducted utilizing search dogs, searchers on ATVs , heat-sensing aircraft, and National Guard personnel.
The search was scaled back on Saturday night, March 10, 2007 because there were no new leads.
The Investigation:
During the course of the investigation into Christopher’s disappearance investigators interviewed registered sex offenders in the area including Christopher’s father and George Edenfield.
Christopher’s father also appeared on the Georgia State Sex Offender Registry. He has a conviction for Statutory Rape. However, it was determined early on that Christopher’s father was not a suspect in his son’s disappearance.
This would not be the case pertaining to the interview conducted with George Edenfield, the registered sex offender living across the street from the mobile home of Christopher’s grandmother, Sue Rodriguez. One day after Christopher’s disappearance, George Edenfield was taken into custody based on statements he made to investigators indicating that he had recent unsupervised contact with Christopher on March 8, 2007.
George Edenfield made comments to investigators indicating that he had murdered the child. However, he was reluctant to tell investigators where the body was located because he feared going to prison.1
George Edenfield’s History
George Edenfield had two prior convictions for child molestation dating from 1997.
George David Edenfield was required to register as a sex offender after he pleaded guilty in 1997 to molesting two boys, ages 7 and 9. Prosecutors said he rubbed his clothed body in a sexual manner against the boys, who also were fully dressed. He was sentenced then to 10 years on probation.2
He had recently moved into the mobile home park after having been ordered to move by the sheriff in September 2006 from a house on Union Street because it was determined that residence was in close proximity to a park where children congregated.
Because George Edenfield failed to move he was charged with a probation violation. He appeared in court on that charge on March 5, 2007, 3 days prior to Christopher’s disappearance.
Sheriffs’ deputies told George David Edenfield in September that he had to leave his home near downtown Brunswick because it was too close to a playground. Georgia law prohibits registered sex offenders from living within 1,000 feet of schools and other places that draw crowds of children.
His family went to live in the trailer park in October after George David Edenfield was arrested for failing to move as ordered. He pleaded guilty to the charge and was sentenced to probation March 5, three days before Christopher went missing.3
David Edenfield’s History
David Edenfield, George’s father also has a history of being a sex offender. David Edenfield plead guilty to incest in 1994 for having a sexual relationship with an adult member of his family.
Superior Court records show that David Edenfield was arrested for committing incest against his daughter in 1993, and that he pleaded guilty to the charge and was sentenced to 10 years’ probation in 1994.4
Peggy Edenfield’s History
There really is not any information about Peggy Edenfield as it pertains to past brushes with the law. She has been married to David for many years and they have two children, George and an unnamed daughter. Both children have grown into adulthood.
New Leads:
Investigators then went back to the mobile home of Peggy Edenfield and brought along with them a representative from the Gas Company. They asked if they could conduct a test to detect methane gas. Methane gas is a by-product of body decomposition. The test proved the presence of methane gas inside the mobile home.Later that day when another interview was conducted with Peggy Edenfield, she also made comments to investigators indicating not only her son’s involvement but also her involvement, her husband’s and a family friend’s involvement as well in the crime against Christopher.
Peggy Edenfield indicated the following during her interviews with investigators:
Peggy Edenfield told police March 12 that George Edenfield, her son, confessed to her that he had killed Christopher.
Peggy Edenfield witnessed her son and David Edenfield, George’s father and Peggy Edenfield’s husband, choke Christopher until he was dead.5
In a follow-up interview (on March 12, 2007), with Glynn County police Sgt. Keith Stalvey, Peggy Edenfield admitted that George attempted to clean fingerprints off Christopher’s neck using a pot of water and soap and wrapping him in plastic trash bags.
That statement is consistent in three of the four search warrant applications. In the fourth this one to search the Edenfield home it is stated that Peggy Edenfield said she washed Christopher’s neck.
That same warrant includes Peggy Edenfield telling police that David Edenfield and George Edenfield used clothing to wipe semen off their bodies. No further information on this detail is included in any of the warrant applications.6
The Search Resumes:
After investigators spoke with Peggy Edenfield investigators made an emergency entry of the Edenfield mobile home because Peggy Edenfield indicated to investigators that Christopher could be found alive inside of a closet at the mobile home. They were not able to find Christopher but they did find items of interest inside the mobile that did indicate Christopher had been there at some point. There was renewed interest and investigators asked once again that the heat-sensing aircraft be sent to the area of the mobile home park. A search warrant was obtained and the mobile home was officially searched.
George Edenfield was brought to the mobile home so he could show investigators where Christopher’s body had been placed but Mr. Edenfield was unable or unwilling to tell them where to find Christopher.
More Arrests:
Peggy Edenfield was placed under arrest on March 14, 2007 and charged with giving false statements, obstruction of an officer and concealing the death of another person.
David Edenfield, George Edenfield’s father and husband of Peggy Edenfield was arrested on March 15, 2007 on charges of giving false statements, obstruction of an officer and concealing the death of another person. That same day, family friend Donald Dale, was arrested and charged as well.
The suspects were escorted to various sites they claimed where Christopher’s body could be located over the ensuing days but none of those searches proved fruitful.
Discovery of Christopher’s Body:
On March 15, 2007, a searcher noticed tire tracks on a road located approximately 3 miles from the Canal Mobile Home Park. Those tire tracks led to a black trash bag covered with bugs, containing Christopher’s body.
The Indictments:7
David, Peggy and George Edenfield:
- Malice murder - punishable by death, life without parole or life with eligibility for parole
- Kidnapping with bodily injury - punishable by death, or 25 years to life in prison
- Enticing a child for indecent purposes - punishable by 10 to 30 years in prison
- False imprisonment - punishable by 1 to 10 years in prison
- First-degree cruelty to children - punishable by 5 to 20 years in prison
- Child molestation - punishable by 5 to 20 years in prison
- Concealing the death of another person - punishable by 1 to 10 years in prison
- Tampering with evidence - punishable by 1 to 10 years in prison
George and David Edenfield Additional Indictments:
- Aggravated child molestation, two counts - punishable by 25 years to life on each count
Donald Dale Indictments:
- Concealing the death of another person - punishable by 1 to 10 years in prison.
- Tampering with evidence - punishable by 1 to 10 years in prison.
Pretrial Activity
Monday April 2, 2007:
George, David and Peggy Edenfield appeared in Glynn County Superior Court today to once again hear the charges against them. They will be formally arraigned on April 13 at 2 p.m. They are all expected to enter pleas on the murder and molestation charges.
The prosecutor is seeking the death penalty against all three defendants. Because of a Georgia Supreme Court ruling there are a series of steps that need to be followed when the death penalty is being sought. This series required steps are expected to take about a year to complete.
[Source]
April 13, 2007:
George, David and Peggy Edenfield each entered pleas of not guilty today through their attorneys in separate appearances before Superior Court Judge Stephen G. Scarlett.
Judge Scarlett also addressed in the court the issue regarding his decision in March 2007 to not sentence George Edenfield to prison for his parole violation. George Edenfield appeared before Judge Scarlett just 3 days prior to the new charges. In those proceedings George Edenfield was charged with living too close to a park in violation of his parole. Judge Scarlett sentenced George Edenfield to an additional 10 years of probation instead of sending him to prison. Below is Judge Scarlett’s explanation for his ruling in that case:
“…[Edenfield’s] his prior sentence was appropriate considering George Edenfield faced his first probation violation in almost 10 years. He also said he felt for the loss suffered by Christopher’s family.
“But this court’s conduct will not be colored by that,” the judge said…
[Source]
August 29, 2008:
David Edenfield was in court with his attorney yesterday. His attorney was trying to have the murder indictment thrown out based on the idea that the Grand Jury underrepresented Hispanics. I am trying really hard to understand this reasoning. David Edenfield is white. The victim, Christopher Barrios is half Hispanic and I believe half Black. One would think David Edenfield’s attorney would be more concerned if the Grand Jury had been stacked the other way.
Judge Scarlett said he would take the motion under advisement and rule on it quickly. Edenfield’s attorney said if the judge does not rule in his favor, then he will move to have a change of venue because of publicity.
Christopher’s grandmother, Sue Rodriguez, was at the hearing. She just wishes the proceedings would move on.8
Sources:
- Mary Starr and Emily Stranger, ‘Indictment Planned in Slaying of Child,’ The Brunswick News, March 20, 2007. [↩]
- ’Sun Sentinel.com’ [↩]
- Ibid. [↩]
- Jeff Brumley, ‘Suspects Kept to Themselves, Except Son’, The Times-Union, March 18, 2007. [↩]
- Josh Rayburn and Emily Stranger, ‘Missing Child choked to death, court documents reveal,’ The Brunswick News, March 21, 2007. [↩]
- Ibid. [↩]
- Teresa Stepzinski, ‘Indictment Details Final Hours for Boy’, The Times-Union, March 22, 2007. [↩]
- Teresa Stepzinski, Racial Makeup of Grand Jury is Challenged, The Times-Union, August 29, 2008. [↩]
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
The article has
no responses yet