The family moved to Alabama as Barton's employer required him there. Barton grew paranoid and started distrusting his own wife. He lost his employment after his performance plummeted. He was also caught sabotaging data of the company that had fired him and served a short jail term for this retaliatory act. Barton found a new employer in Georgia and a mistress in one of his wife's acquaintances, Leigh Ann Vandiver, with whom he had an affair. In 1993, Spivey and her mother Eloise were killed by bludgeoning. Barton was the prime suspect in the double-murder, but was not charged due to the lack of evidence. Barton married Leigh Ann his wife in 1995. His mental health continued to deteriorate, however, and he began to suffer from both severe depression and paranoid delusions.