From Victim to Killer: The Tragic Story of Abuse and Desperation

Miranda Barbour was a teenager whose life was completely shattered due to the severe trauma she experienced during her childhood.

Miranda Kamille Dean was born in North Pole, Alaska, on December 14th, 1994, and lived with her father, mother Elizabeth, and sister Ashley. In her infancy, she was diagnosed with hip dysplasia, which prevented her from running or playing with other children.

Around the same time, Elizabeth’s sister moved into the neighborhood with her family. Elizabeth’s sister’s husband was Richard, whom the children called Uncle Rick. Rick also had a daughter the same age as Miranda; therefore, Miranda and Ashley started spending a lot of time at Rick’s home.
Rick was a pedophile.

He started sexually abusing the two children every time he was alone with them. 
Miranda remained too frightened to speak out about the sexual abuse, but her sister Ashley found the courage to inform their mother when she turned six.

Sadly, Elizabeth had also experienced sexual abuse at the hands of her own father during her childhood, and she was determined to prevent her daughters from enduring the same terrible ordeal. It was a harrowing experience for her to see her own family member inflicting such pain on her children.

Eventually, Elizabeth took action and reported the abuse to the police, providing them with all the details.
The police obtained a search warrant and discovered that Rick had kept a detailed journal of all the sexual abuse he had inflicted on the children. He was subsequently sentenced to 20 years in prison, but he only served 10 years.

After his release, he was caught using illegal websites containing pedophilic material and was sentenced to another 10 to 40 years in prison. Meanwhile, Elizabeth moved with her family to Palmer, Alaska.

As Miranda grew up, she began exhibiting deviant behavior. At the age of 13, she started using drugs and would disappear from home for several days without informing anyone.

Miranda even joined a cult that was led by a man named Forrest. One day, she returned home and told her mother that her soul now belonged to Forrest. Her overall behavior was problematic, as she began getting into trouble at school. Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse when her parents got divorced.
Following the divorce, Elizabeth became emotionally overwhelmed and focused primarily on her own needs.

When Miranda was 14 years old, she was diagnosed with several severe mental health conditions, including depression, ADHD, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. She was prescribed high-potency medications to manage these conditions, but unfortunately, she also started abusing drugs.

Miranda made multiple attempts to take her own life, and as a result, Elizabeth disowned her. Feeling abandoned, Miranda turned to her gang friends for support. However, these friends led her down a path of drug use, vandalism, and engaging in sexual relationships with individuals for money.
Miranda became pregnant with one of her customers, but Forrest forced her to have an abortion. The procedure was not performed in a hospital but in a random street by gang members, leaving Miranda traumatized by the experience.

At the age of 17, Miranda became pregnant again and decided to keep the baby. She moved in with her mother and attempted to repair their relationship.

During this time, Miranda reached out to Dr. Phil, a psychologist and TV show host, and wrote to him that her mother was inattentive and causing her pain and problems.

Despite not receiving a response from Dr. Phil, Miranda's letter drew the attention of authorities, who decided to send her to live with her extended family in North Carolina. Her new guardians were Amy and her husband, Elytte Barbour.

While living with the Barbours, Miranda became close with Amy, who was also pregnant with Elytte's baby and gave birth to a daughter. However, Elytte struggled with drug addiction and displayed erratic and violent behavior. After the birth of their daughter, Amy eventually left him.
Miranda and Elytte's troubled lives led them to find solace in each other's company. Both suffering from similar mental health issues, they bonded over their shared struggles and began delving into occult practices. They engaged in self-harm and engaged in sexual activities, which they believed would deepen their connection.

Miranda gave birth to her daughter when she turned 18, and shortly after, she and Elytte got married and decided to leave North Carolina for Pennsylvania.

In October 2013, Troy LaFerrara responded to Miranda's Craigslist ad offering female companionship for money. Miranda had previously worked in the sex industry and saw this as a way to earn some quick cash. Unbeknownst to Troy, Miranda and Elytte had a sinister plan for him.

They arranged to meet in the parking lot of a shopping mall, where Miranda was waiting for him. As Troy got into the car, Miranda started driving, not to provide companionship but to carry out their dark intentions.
Miranda came intending to kill Troy.
Elytte was in the backseat of the car, concealed by a blanket, and waiting for Miranda's signal to attack. As Troy got into the car, Miranda asked him, "Have you seen the stars tonight?" This was the prearranged code for Elytte to strike. He emerged from under the blanket and strangled Troy with a cable, while Miranda repeatedly stabbed him as he struggled to escape the car.
When the police found evidence linking Miranda to the crime, they arrested her. During the investigation, Miranda initially denied having met Troy and claimed that they had planned to meet but he never showed up. However, the evidence against her and Elytte was strong, and eventually, Miranda confessed to the murder.

At her trial, Miranda pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Elytte was also sentenced to life in prison for his role in the murder. The crime shook the community and gained national attention. It also shed light on the dangers of online ads and the importance of being cautious while interacting with strangers on the internet.

After leaving the police station, Miranda went to her friend Shea's house and confessed to her about the murder of Troy LaFerrara. Shea was stunned and urged Miranda to turn herself in. Eventually, Miranda agreed with Shea's advice and went back to the police station to confess the crime.

The police confronted Elytte with the CCTV footage and he eventually confessed to his involvement in the murder. He calmly shared the gruesome details of the killing, even expressing his pleasure in the act. This confession led to the arrest of both Miranda and Elytte for the murder of Troy LaFerrara.
Miranda and Elytte were subsequently arrested and charged with first-degree murder after it was revealed that they had been planning to kill someone for quite some time.
Miranda made shocking claims to a journalist, stating that she had killed over 22 people in her lifetime and stopped counting after that. However, her claims lacked any evidence, and the police could not find proof of the people she claimed to have killed. 
Therefore, authorities were doubtful of her confessions and did not charge her for any of the alleged murders. Miranda's behavior suggested that she may have been seeking attention from the media.

In 2016, Miranda made another shocking confession. She claimed that she had intentionally committed the murder to get arrested and taken into custody. Her plan was for social services to take custody of her daughter and provide her with a better life than she could provide. She also confessed that she had lied about all the other murders she claimed to have committed.

According to psychologists, Miranda had experienced so much trauma throughout her life that she created a false persona that she genuinely believed was real. She convinced herself that she was a killer who only targeted terrible people.

Miranda also claimed that Troy was a horrible person because, during their conversation, he expressed a willingness to go out with a 16-year-old.
After appearing on Dr Phil's show, where Miranda's mother and Ashley defended her, a few years later, Miranda's mother committed suicide. It was a tragic event that affected many lives, and it served as a reminder of the devastating consequences of trauma and mental illness.