The execution chamber in Huntsville, Texas, fell silent at 7:35 p. m. on November 16, 2022, as Stephen Dale Barbee, 55, was pronounced dead after a lethal injection that took nearly 90 minutes to complete.
The delay was caused by his severe joint deformity, which made it impossible for executioners to find a suitable vein on his arms, which had been locked in a bent position for years due to a degenerative condition. Barbee was executed for the brutal 2005 murders of Lisa Underwood, 34, who was seven months pregnant, and her seven-year-old son, Jaden. The child Lisa was carrying, a girl, never received a name in the public record.
The crime was rooted in a tragic misunderstanding: DNA later proved that Barbee was not the father of the unborn baby, but he killed to protect a secret that never existed.
Barbee was brought into the death chamber in a wheelchair because his body could no longer support him. He was lifted onto the gurney, and his arms were strapped down with special extensions. The search for a vein lasted more than an hour, with witnesses watching through the glass as medical staff struggled.
Barbee’s attorneys had argued that this prolonged process constituted torture, but the courts rejected their final appeals. In his last statement, Barbee cried and spoke of his faith, saying he hoped his family would find peace. He did not mention Lisa, Jaden, or the unborn child by name.
The family of the victims, including Lisa’s mother, Sheila Underwood, watched from the witness room. She had previously said she had forgiven Barbee but believed justice required his execution. She had traveled to Huntsville twice before, only to be turned away by last-minute stays.
The crime that led to Barbee’s death sentence unfolded on February 18, 2005, in Fort Worth, Texas. Lisa Underwood was a single mother and successful business owner who ran Bupa’s Bagel Deli, named after her son’s nickname. She was fiercely independent and had decided to raise her second child on her own.
Barbee, a married man with a tree trimming and concrete business, believed he was the father. He feared the pregnancy would expose his 𝒶𝒻𝒻𝒶𝒾𝓇 and destroy his marriage. That night, he went to Lisa’s home.
An argument erupted. According to Barbee’s later confession, he struck Lisa, then suffocated her. Jaden heard the commotion and came to his mother’s aid.
Barbee then killed the boy. He loaded the bodies into Lisa’s Dodge Durango, drove to a remote area in Denton County, and buried them in a shallow grave. The SUV was half-submerged in a creek.
The investigation moved quickly. Police found blood in Lisa’s home and Jaden’s glasses beside his bed. Barbee was arrested in Tyler, Texas, two days later.
In an unrecorded confession, he admitted to the murders and led police to the grave. He later recanted, claiming the confession was coerced by threats against his family and by the death penalty. The recorded statement was ruled inadmissible in court.
Barbee’s trial lasted only three days in February 2006. His own defense attorney, against Barbee’s explicit instructions, conceded his guilt in an attempt to avoid a death sentence. The jury convicted him of capital murder and sentenced him to death.
The Supreme Court later ruled in McCoy v. Louisiana that such a concession is unconstitutional, but the ruling came too late for Barbee. His appeals cited this violation, as well as the suspended coroner whose testimony was later discredited, yet all were denied.
The execution was the third date set for Barbee. The first was stayed over the guilt-concession issue, the second over religious rights. A federal judge briefly halted the November 2022 execution, demanding a written policy for religious accommodations, but the Fifth Circuit overturned that order.
The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles voted unanimously against clemency, noting that Barbee had committed no violent acts in 16 years on death row, contrary to the jury’s prediction of future dangerousness. That fact did not matter. The state proceeded.
The controversy surrounding the case centers on Ronald Dodd, Barbee’s employee and the man living with Barbee’s ex-wife. Dodd was present on the night of the murders, providing rides and later helping to dispose of the bodies. He pleaded guilty to tampering with evidence and served only 10 years.
Two witnesses claimed that Dodd bragged in graphic detail about personally beating Lisa Underwood. Dodd had a prior record of assault and family violence. Barbee maintained from the beginning that Dodd was the actual killer, and that he only helped conceal the bodies because Dodd threatened his family.
The jury never heard this evidence. The state’s case rested on the belief that Barbee was the sole murderer, driven by a fear of paternity that DNA later proved false. The unresolved questions linger.
Lisa Underwood deserved the truth. Jaden deserved the truth. The unborn daughter who never got a name deserved the truth.
Did Texas execute the right man, or did a rushed trial and a flawed confession allow a guilty man to walk free? The families of the victims now have an ending, but not necessarily the complete story. The execution chamber closed that chapter, but the search for justice continues in the hearts of those who know the case.