Who is Sheila LaBarre and how many people did she murder? The truth behind C5’s Making a Serial Killer
SHEILA LaBarre lured boyfriends to her farm and made them admit to crimes they hadn’t committed before brutally murdering them.
Here we take look at the life and crimes of the killer nicknamed ‘Sheila the peeler’.
Who is Sheila LaBarre?
Born Sheila Kaye Bailey in Fort Payne, Alabama on July 4, 1958, Sheila LaBarre was the youngest of six children.
Her father was reportedly an abusive and violent alcoholic, and her sister Lynn Noojin testified that she witnessed him sexually abusing Sheila when she was a child.
Struggling with her mental health throughout her teens, she dreamed of becoming a model or country music singer.
In 1987, Sheila answered a personal ad placed by 61-year-old widower Wilfred LaBarre, and subsequently moved to Epping, New Hampshire to live with the successful chiropractor on his 150-acre horse farm.
Speaking about their relationship, former Epping Police Sgt Sean Gallagher told Snapped: “I think Sheila and Wilfred LaBarre’s relationship was more tumultuous than anything else.
“The police department would be involved several times with domestic disputes.”
Sheila married Wayne Ennis in August 1995, and he lived on the farm with her and Wilfred, but they divorced just a year later having accused each other of abuse.
Despite never marrying, Sheila took Wilfred’s last name, claiming she was his common-law wife and inheriting everything from him when he died at the age of 74 in 2000 — Wilfred’s children unsuccessfully attempted to contest his will.
The burnt remains of two of her boyfriends were later found scattered around the farm and she was found guilty of two charges of first-degree murder in June 2008 after being found sane to stand trial.
Forensic psychologist Dr Albert Drukteinis testified that he believed LaBarre was sane, based on reviewing more than 8,000 pages in the case file, interviewing LaBarre three times and spending more than 12 hours with her.
He said: “She answered questions well, she tried to explain evidence away that made her look bad. This is not what someone sees over many hours in a person who is psychotic.”
To this day, investigators are unsure of how many people LaBarre killed.
We had asked her if she had any other weapons. She said, ‘No.’ She exposed her breasts to show us she had no weapons. It was very, very strange
Sgt Sean Gallagher
What happened to Sheila LaBarre?
Following a car accident in the early 1980s, LaBarre was in a coma for eight days, and after regaining consciousness was sent to a psychiatric unit.
While in the coma, Labarre reportedly died for a short period of time and found herself at a table with God and a number of men with long beards, where God told her that her work on earth was incomplete and returned her to life to kill paedophiles and perverts.
During the trial into LaBarre’s murders, Lynn Noojin testified that LaBarre told her one of the orderlies raped her during her stay on the psychiatric ward.
Why was LaBarre nicknamed ‘Sheila the peeler’?
Although it sounds self-explanatory, the nickname ‘Sheila the peeler’ is not quite what it seems.
Rather than peeling her victims, LaBarre was known locally around Epping town as Sheila the peeler for her propensity to expose herself.
Reporter Kevin Flynn told the Criminal podcast, which aired in 2014: “… [Sheila] would go around town dressed very provocatively. And they had a nickname for her around town, which was Sheila the peeler, because she would definitely like to flash her cleavage.
“And she was known for answering the door for delivery men wearing lingerie or being naked.”
Who were Sheila LaBarre’s victims?
Michael Deloge
Michael Deloge of Portsmouth, New Hampshire was a 37-year-old who had struggled with homelessness and addiction.
In February 2005, his family received a letter from LaBarre’s address asking them not to contact the couple.
When they next tried to get in touch with DeLonge, LaBarre said he had left.
Deloge had reportedly told his mother he was afraid LaBarre was trying to kill him.
In a taped interview with Dr Drukteinis, which was played in court, LaBarre said she was driven to kill Deloge because he was hurting and killing her animals.
Kenny Countie Jr.
Following Wilfred’s death, LaBarre met 24-year-old Kenneth “Kenny” Countie Jr. in 2006 while looking for love on phone chat lines.
Born in 1981 and raised in Tewkesbury, Massachusetts, Kenny was mentally disabled.
Kenny and LaBarre’s first date was on Valentine’s Day 2006, and just days later he moved to Epping to live and work with her on the farm.
A month later Kenny’s mother contacted the Epping Police Department because no one had heard from her son in a month, ultimately leading to her arrest.
Police saw what appeared to be a bone in a burn pile on the farm, and when they asked LaBarre what it was she said: “Well, that’s a rabbit or a paedophile.”
When police asked if they could examine the bone, LaBarre demanded they leave her property.
They returned the following day after obtaining a search warrant, finding LaBarre kneeling in front of the burn pit covered in ash.
The bone was nowhere to be found, but she did hand over a handgun.
Sgt Gallagher said: “We had asked her if she had any other weapons. She said, ‘No.’ She exposed her breasts to show us she had no weapons. It was very, very strange.”
When asked what happened to Countie, LaBarre pointed to a small bag sitting on a lawn chair and answered, “He’s in that bag,” according to police recordings.
She claimed that Kenny had admitted to being a paedophile and raping numerous children.
These allegations proved to be false.
During the 2006 proceedings to prove whether she was sane to stand trial, Countie’s mother, who broke down in tears in the courtroom, called LaBarre the “spawn of Satan.”
How to watch Making a Serial Killer
You can watch the episode of Making a Serial Killer featuring Sheila the peeler’s case on Channel 5.
It airs on May 2, 2024 at 11.05pm.
You can also catch it on My5 — Channel 5’s streaming service.