Bonner County man arrested in cold-case killing
SANDPOINT — A Bonner County man has been arrested in connection with the murder of his wife in Washington state in 1997.
Barrett Brandon Beckford was arrested in Vay on Jan. 14 by Bonner County Sheriff’s deputies and agents from the U.S. Marshals Service. He is charged with first-degree murder, according to the Yakima County Sheriff’s Office.
Beckford, 60, waived extradition and is being held at the Yakima County Department of Corrections. His bail is set at $250,000, the Yakima Herald-Republic reported.
Beckford, also known as Barry Bailey, is accused of playing a role in the killing of his wife, Deborah, who was found dead in her Volkswagen convertible on a remote road near Naches, Wash.
Bailey, 32, was shot four times in the head.
Beckford’s arrest coincides with the airing of an episode of “Cold Justice,” which outlined the investigation into Debbie Bailey’s killing. The show is an unscripted crime procedural on Turner Network Television.
The show involves former Prosecutor Kelly Siegler and former crime scene investigator Yolanda McClary investigating unsolved murders with the consent of law enforcement agencies.
Beckford was suspected in his wife’s slaying from the start, Yakima County sheriff’s officials said on the show, which aired two days after Beckford’s arrest. However, the case against Beckford was largely circumstantial.
Beckford reported his wife missing from their home on Feb. 16, 1997.
“My wife of 13 1/2 years disappeared last night. The car and her are gone. Something is really wrong here,” Beckford said in a 911 call played on the show.
Beckford attracted suspicion early on because he allegedly badmouthed Bailey to people and the couple’s two children as a heavy cocaine user who was likely killed over a drug debt.
Investigators determined Beckford received a cellphone call at 11:19 p.m. on Feb. 15 from Timmy McKimmy, a friend of Beckford’s and a suspected drug dealer.
McClary noted on the show that investigators were unable to find anyone who could verify the whereabouts of Beckford or McKimmy at around midnight. Investigators believe either both men accompanied Bailey to the location where she was shot or they rendezvoused at the scene.
Bailey’s purse, which had not been disturbed, was found on the car’s back seat, suggesting there was a front-seat passenger.
Bailey’s friends, meanwhile, told investigators that she confided to them that Beckford was physically and emotionally abusive, and that she was contemplating a divorce and seeking custody of their sons.
The suspected murder weapon, a .22-caliber pistol, has never been recovered. Beckford’s former coworker told investigators that Beckford said he dismantled the gun and deposited its parts into a river and expressed remorse for an act which the coworker assumed was his wife’s murder.
Investigators were unable to locate McKimmy and ultimately traveled to Beckford’s Horn Mountain Road home, where they confronted him on camera and urged him to confess.
Beckford declined, saying he wouldn’t confess to a crime he didn’t commit. He also denied the former coworker’s claims about disposing of the murder weapon and remorse over Bailey’s killing.
“It’s like a nightmare,” Beckford said. “I just want to live my life.”
Beckford ended the interview and sheriff’s officials returned to Yakima County, where they persuaded the prosecutor’s office to re-evaluate the case.
It’s not clear what persuaded prosecutors to file a criminal charge against Beckford. Yakima County Prosecutor Joe Brusic did not return a message seeking comment on Wednesday.
It’s also unclear if McKimmy is being sought for arrest in connection with the killing.
Bailey’s mother, Pearl Smotherman, told “Cold Justice” that she feared the case would fade away with the passage of time and is grateful that it’s being taken up again.
“All these years just hoping and praying and here it is,” she said. “After a while you do get to thinking, ‘Well, you know, it’s been so many years and nothing’s going to happen.’ It’s just been an answered prayer.”