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Lauren Nicole Henley, Assistant Professor of Leadership Studies, University of Richmond

Revisiting the story of Clementine Barnabet, a Black woman blamed for serial murders in the Jim Crow South

A grainy photograph of Clementine Barnabet. A 1912 edition of The Atlanta Constitution newspaper via Wikimedia Commons

In April 1912, a young Black woman named Clementine Barnabet confessed to murdering four families in and around Lafayette, Louisiana. The widespread news coverage at the time effectively branded her a serial killer.

Her confession, however, did not align with the timeline of crimes that had gripped America’s rice belt region with fear. Even today, her guilt is debated.

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