The Heartless Murder of Troy LaFerrara

In November 2013, Miranda Barbour placed an ad on Craigslist offering “companionship” for $100. Troy LaFerrara responded to the ad. Miranda, then 19 years old, and Troy agreed to meet at Susquehanna Valley Mall where they would travel six miles to Sunbury, PA.

Once inside the vehicle, Miranda told Troy that she had lied about her age and was really a 16-year-old teenager. If Troy had backed out of their agreement, Miranda says he would still be alive today.

Instead, Troy replied, “That’s okay,” and began to rub his hand up her thigh. The man was a pedophile, Miranda thought.

Hidden in the backseat of the car was Elytte Barbour, Miranda’s husband of just three weeks. The couple had only recently relocated from North Carolina to Pennsylvania. The couple had plans to rid the world of pedophiles and molesters, starting with Troy.

The couple extensively planned this night, discussing in great detail what they would do if Troy did not back out of the sexual encounter after claiming she was 16 years old.

In reality, the couple had a lust for murder and would likely have killed anyway.

“Did you see the stars tonight,” Miranda asked, the cue for her husband to leap from the backseat and tie a cord around Troy’s neck and strangled him to death.

The Murder

Elytte jumped from the backseat and tightly wrapped the cord around Troy’s neck while Miranda pulled a knife from her back and repeatedly stabbed the man more than 20 times. After killing the 48-year-old, Miranda and Elytte dumped his body in a backyard where it was discovered the following day.

Miranda and Elytte drove to a local market and purchased cleaning supplies including cleaning liquid, bleach wipes, and towels to clean the blood out of their Honda CR-V.

Police Trace Phone Call to Miranda Barbour

Police traced the last call made from Troy’s phone to Miranda Barbour. She initially denied knowing the man or having any knowledge of the murder but eventually confessed and revealed her true intentions that day, saying she and her 22-year-old husband just wanted to know how it felt to kill someone together.

Miranda Confesses to 23 Murders

To the surprise of investigators, Miranda confessed on Valentine’s Day to the murders of 23 other people, murders she claimed to have committed while a member of a satanic cult. Police never substantiated her claims but doubted them from the beginning. To kill that number of people, police say she would have killed someone every few weeks to months since the age of 13.

Miranda’s Life

Growing up, Miranda struggled with behavioral issues and drug use, heroin was her drug of choice even as a young teen. She self-harmed and spent most of her childhood in and out of mental health facilities. She claims she was raped by her uncle at age four. Although he was never charged with a crime against Miranda, the uncle was eventually sentenced to 19 years in prison for a conviction of sexual abuse of a minor. She also says that she was raped by multiple men after joining the satanic cult. Her father, Sonny, says all of these factors led to the tragic outcome.

Newsweek Interview

Speaking to Matthew Lysiak from Newsweek in 2014 before sentencing, Barbour said she had no remorse for killing Troy, but did regret the hurt she caused to her family.

"I felt no regret. None," she says. "I didn't hurt anyone who didn't deserve it."

Life in Prison

Miranda and Elytte pleaded guilty to second-degree murder to avoid the death penalty. Both received life sentences without the possibility of parole.

Resources & More Information:

https://jezebel.com/satan-rape-and-murder-the-life-of-miranda-barbour-cr-1526169756

https://people.com/crime/craigslist-killers-miranda-and-elytte-barbour-sentenced-to-life-in-prison/

https://www.newsweek.com/2014/05/09/exclusive-craigslist-killer-miranda-barbour-tells-how-and-why-she-killed-248670.html