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Maggie Wheeler
ENG 305
14 April 2017
The Lucid Killer: The Case of Peggy Barsness
When Mary Barnett took off for California in hopes of mending her relationship with her
fiancé, Tim, she left her entire life and all responsibilities behind. In doing so, she lost more than
she bargained for. Her infant daughter, Alison, had been left alone during the duration of her
excursion and had passed away of dehydration.
Mary’s obsession over her relationship
consumed her completely, especially when Tim moved to California. She never considered
Alison’s needs. For all of Alison’s life, Mary’s attention was always somewhere else, so much so
that she did not realize that little Alison was not with a baby sitter. Her depression and anxiety,
many times, got the best of her. However in the case of Peggy Barsness, the story is a bit
different. Though she was still consumed by thoughts of her fiancé, she was a bit more lucid than
Mary. The factors that determine whether or not someone is guilty of second degree murder were
not on Peggy’s side.
After re-examining the new evidence, Peggy Barsness is guilty of second
degree murder.
Though Mary Barnett was not mentally stable at the time of the incident, Peggy Barsness
was perfectly lucid when she left her baby behind. Several times during both of the cases, the
topic of mental illness is mentioned. The jury knows from all of the witness accounts that both
Peggy and Mary’s mental disorders hindered them from being responsible, rational mothers.
During Mary’s case, Dr. Blooms told the jury that Ms. Barnett had suffered from not only
postpartum depression, but also anxiety.
After having Alison, Mary slipped further and further
into this depressive hole that caused her to feel detached from her baby. Normally, victims of
postpartum depression seek the help of a therapist in order to prevent the child or the mother
from getting hurt. It is this depression that caused Mary to drink as much as she did. Peggy’s
detachment from her daughter did not stem from postpartum depression, like Mary. Peggy did
not want to have a child to begin with-- she had no business keeping Kirsten. In the article,
The
Cradle Will Fall,
Peggy said, “I can’t have the baby… I’m just not ready to have a baby” (185).
With this statement, it becomes obvious to the jury that she knew from the beginning of her
pregnancy that she would not be a proper mother.
In a poor attempt to escape reality, Ms. Barnett
and Ms. Barsness used alcohol. The first witness, Caroline Hospers, stated that Mary’s “garbage
was always filled with wine and whisky bottles” (2). From this statement, the jury can gather that
Ms. Barnett had an excessive drinking problem; whether or not the drinking was in a party
atmosphere is debatable. Peggy’s drinking was, absolutely, done in a party atmosphere; in the
article
The Cradle Will Fall,
Peggy’s lawyer said that after she had Kirsten, she would hang out
at a bar called the R-Berry.
It is obvious from his testimony that a new mother has no business
hanging out in a smoky dive bar. Several witnesses of both cases mentioned the anxiety of both
