Oklahoma Woman Beat and Stabbed Her 75-Year-Old Mother Before Casually Washing Dishes as Police Arrived, Investigators Say
WILBURTON, OKLAHOMA — A 53-year-old Oklahoma woman has been sentenced to 60 years in prison after prosecutors say she brutally murdered her 75-year-old mother with multiple knives and a portable vacuum cleaner, then calmly washed dishes in the kitchen while her mother’s body lay mutilated on the floor.
Neighbor Heard Screaming — Then Sudden Silence Before Police Made a Horrific Discovery
According to federal prosecutors, Tracy Mannon killed her mother, Linda Barnes, inside their Wilburton home on Feb. 26, 2024. The crime occurred on Choctaw Nation land, and both women were members of the Cherokee Nation, giving federal authorities jurisdiction.
Around 4 p.m., a concerned neighbor heard Mannon screaming at her mother — followed by a chilling silence.
When officers arrived, no one answered the front door. They moved to the back and looked through an open door. What they saw stunned them.
Barnes was lying on the floor with “organs” and “tissue” spilling from her body, with severe injuries to her face and arms. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Killer Was Washing Dishes When Police Entered the Home
Officers were shocked to find Mannon standing at the kitchen sink washing dishes, acting as if nothing had happened.
She was immediately taken into custody and confessed to the killing. According to the criminal complaint, Mannon said she stabbed her mother with two different knives, intending to dismember her and hide the remains in a tote container — but one knife was “too dull” to complete the task.
She also admitted to beating Barnes with a portable vacuum cleaner.
Police later found Mannon’s blood-soaked clothing wrapped in carpet and stuffed into a closet.
Daughter Described Their Mother as “The Life of the Party” Before Her Violent Death
At sentencing, Barnes’ daughter and Mannon’s sister, Melissa Junell, described their mother as vibrant, sharp-witted, and deeply loved.
“She was the life of the party… she would fight and fuss with us, argue over rules, try to cheat. And so much fun,”
Junell told KOTV.
Junell also said Mannon had a long history of violence, often blaming her behavior on mental illness while refusing treatment.
“She said she learned her lesson. I don’t believe any of that,”
Junell added.
Lawyers Say Mannon Suffered From Severe Mental Illness — Including Delusions About “Robot Replacement”
Defense attorneys said Mannon had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and bipolar disorder since her mid-20s. They also revealed she had been sexually assaulted multiple times — including once while in jail — and gave birth to a daughter as a result.
Mannon had stopped taking her medication, worsening her mental state. On the day of the murder, attorneys wrote, she believed her mother had been replaced by an identical robot preparing to detonate an explosive under the property.
“Tracy killed her mother because she was delusional,”
her lawyers said in a sentencing memo.
Still, her sister rejected any justification.
“There is a measure of right and wrong,” Junell said.
“What happened to our mother was atrocious. Today, it was avenged.”
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