Mr & Mrs. Barryman

**Michael Barryman** and **Dora Mitchell** were a married couple, who married in 1994, in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. They originally met at a house party in 1969, when Barryman was dating Mitchell's older sister Julia, who caught them kissing and ended her relationship with Barryman. They met twenty-five years later outside The Hackney Inn public house in Staffordshire and began dating. Prior to meeting again, Barryman was married to Christina Denham, who was knocked over by his younger brother Geoffrey Barryman in 1986. Together they had four children named Claire, Shane, Mark and Sarah. Whilst Mitchell was married to Joseph Shortman, who she murdered the previous year. Barryman's children made it evident that they hated Mitchell, but were always polite to her for the sake of their father. Their marriage was a mixture of joy and regret. On one-hand, Barryman always tried to become the perfect husband, by buying Mitchell gifts, taking her on long romantic walks and making her feel special. Whilst on the other hand, she always felt smothered and trapped by his affectionate and supportive ways. She knew their marriage would one day end in disaster. On the night of December 11 2000, Mitchell was sitting up in bed, whilst Barryman slept next to her. She was sick and tired of his irritating loud snores and felt apathetic about their marriage. She knew that she could not last another day with being married to someone she no longer respected. As she looked down at him, she decided that enough was enough and held a pillow over his face. He woke up and tried to fight his way to freedom, but eventually lost too much oxygen and became unconscious. Mitchell waited until it was evident that he had passed away, before lifting the pillow above his face and calling for her adopted son Sean to dispose of the body. Their marriage ended the exact same way she knew it would.

## Backstory

In July 1969, Michael Barryman and Dora Mitchell both attended the same house party, which was to celebrate the twenty-sixth birthday of Mitchell's older sister Julia. The location was Mitchell's parents house. Whilst Barryman innocently stood in the kitchen, waiting to have a conversation with Julia, who he was in a relationship with, Mitchell approached and stood next to him. She began complementing him and stroking his arm. Prior to this, they had never met before, despite the fact that he had been dating Mitchell's sister for four years. He told Mitchell that he was dating her sister, but that was not an issue to her, as she leaned in for a kiss and he did not hesitate. The moment after doing so, Julia appeared in the doorway and caught them. She stormed up to them and slapped them both, before she left the kitchen again. Mitchell then left the house and she and Michael did not meet again until 1994.

## 1994-2000

Both Barryman and Mitchell were shocked upon seeing each other outside The Hackney Inn public house in Staffordshire. They went inside for a drink and exchanged phone numbers at the end of the night and later went on several dates. They were astonished to discover that they had both lost their spouses and were single parents. Upon Barryman introducing his four children Claire, Shane, Mark and Sarah to Mitchell, they took an instant disliking to her, but were respectful towards her for their father's sake. However, they were disappointed when Barryman proposed to Mitchell in front of them and unsuccessfully tried to separate them. Barryman and Mitchell married on September 27th. Although their marriage started out rough, it had soon become a success. Eventually their marriage had become a mixture of joy and regret, as on one-hand, Barryman used to try his hardest to be the perfect husband, he would buy Mitchell gifts, take her on long romantic walks and made her feel special. But on the other hand, she always felt trapped and smothered by his affectionate and supportive ways. She knew their marriage would one day end in disaster. On the night of December 11 2000, Mitchell was sitting up in bed, whilst Barryman slept next to her. She was sick and tired of his irritating loud snores and felt apathetic about their marriage. She knew that she could not last another day with being married to someone she no longer respected. As she looked down at him, she decided that enough was enough and held a pillow over his face. He woke up and tried to fight his way to freedom, but eventually lost too much oxygen and became unconscious. Mitchell waited until it was evident that he had passed away, before lifting the pillow above his face and calling for her adopted son Sean to dispose of the body. Their marriage ended the exact same way she knew it would.

At her trial in 2001, she admitted to the murder of Barryman and upon the police searching for his body, he was the only victim of Mitchell's, who's body has not decomposed at discovery.