Authorities say the girlfriend of former NFL player Buster Barnett kidnapped and killed his wife and then killed herself. Clayton County police say 49-year-old Sandra Barnett was kidnapped by Lisa Brown at her Ellenwood home on Wednesday afternoon.
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“Sandra was actually on the telephone with a friend when Lisa showed up at the front door,” Clayton County Police Capt. Richard Gandee said. “Lisa Brown was actually driving a vehicle owned by Buster.”
Carroll County authorities spotted the Dodge Durango on Thursday and began a chase on Interstate 20 that spanned into Alabama. Alabama State Patrol troopers joined in when the chase crossed state lines.
The Durango suddenly stopped in the middle of the interstate at mile marker 208. At that point, authorities said Brown shot Sandra Barnett and turned the gun on herself.
Sandra Barnett was a teacher at McNair Middle School for more than two decades, according to Clayton County police.
“Everybody just remembers this bubbly, happy spirit — just happy,” said co-worker Nimet Muhammad. “Every day at work, you could just count on her.
Neighbors said they grew suspicious when they saw the Durango outside of her home on Wednesday. They said that Barnett had recently replaced a lock on her gate that she believed someone had tampered with.
We’ve uncovered a set of handcuffs and some receipts,” Gandee said. “[Brown] had purchased the handcuffs prior to this kidnapping.”
Coworkers told 11Alive’s Matt Pearl that Barnett’s husband is Buster Barnett, who played four seasons with the NFL’s Buffalo Bills from 1981 through 1984, according to NFL.com. He attended Jackson State University.
Police say Barnett has been in an affair with Brown for several years.
Brown, 49, from Lithonia, Ga., had previous run-ins with the law, police said.
“Lisa Brown was actually on probation for kidnapping out of the state of Texas,” said Gandee. “She had kidnapped her child that she had lost custody of, and the jurisdiction had to track her for like three days to find her.”
