By Janice Morse
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Jim Barton

LEBANON - In his call to a 911 dispatcher, Springboro police Lt. Jim Barton almost utters the word "murder" right off the bat.

"There's a mur ..." he said, interrupting himself, "My wife has just been killed, I think."

In nearly nine years since Barton made that call on the afternoon of April 11, 1995, the investigation into his wife's unsolved slaying has taken unexpected turns - and now, investigators say Barton, 48, and Waynesville Officer Tom Barber are among at least three people who have important information about the crime.

Authorities, stressing that the investigation is still active, wouldn't say what the officers' roles may have been. No criminal charges have been filed.

But Prosecutor Rachel Hutzel said investigators believe Barton has been less than frank and "may have some information that will lead to the killer." Officials said they firmly believe other people also possess information that could help crack the complex case; a reward of up to $20,000 is being offered.

Both officers were suspended from their jobs Tuesday because of information that the Warren County Sheriff's Cold Case Squad unearthed after reopening the Barton case nine months ago.

"We're down the road that we didn't think we'd be," sheriff's Capt. John Newsom, the squad's supervisor, said Wednesday. "It is no fun, and there is no enjoyment in investigating someone who wears a badge."

Attempts to reach the officers for comment were unsuccessful Wednesday, and their chiefs didn't return calls seeking comment.

Just last February, Barton was among 60 Warren County police officers who attended a daylong seminar teaching them how to probe unsolved killings, or "cold cases." Two months later, Warren County Sheriff Tom Ariss launched a Cold Case Squad to focus on unsolved killings; the case of Vickie Barton, a 40-year-old nurse and horse enthusiast, was first on deck.

Ariss, who once worked alongside Barton in Springboro, said, "We're representing the good folks," so the last thing police want to do is investigate a fellow officer. Still, he said, investigators will do whatever is necessary to bring the case to a conclusion.

Since last April, the probe has taken investigators to seven states and involved DNA analysis of more than 60 people. Investigators also have consulted with the FBI's Behavioral Sciences Unit, which produces profiles of criminal suspects' characteristics, and experts in many forensic fields.

Newsom said the original probe of Vickie Barton's slaying at her Franklin Township farmhouse "was actually a very good investigation." He said the Cold Case Squad has been able to advance the investigation further only because of statements and forensic evidence that were unavailable to the original investigators.

Investigators now have proof that William Lee "Will" Phelps, a 28-year-old Middletown man who committed suicide four months after Vickie Barton was killed, was at the crime scene the day she was slain, Newsom said. Phelps' body was exhumed in 1998 as part of the investigation, but DNA tests excluded him from evidence found on Vickie Barton's body, Newsom said.

Asked whether Phelps' suicide was related to the crime, Newsom said investigators gathered information indicating that Phelps was "a sensitive young man who couldn't handle the aftermath" of what had happened.

Newsom wouldn't say what relationship may have existed between Phelps and anyone else connected to the case.

Also, Newsom said the Cold Case Squad is close to identifying another person with information and, "this suspect is not either of the suspended police officers." A third person "may have been an unknowing accomplice at the time of the offense," Newsom said, and may have no criminal involvement in the case.

Authorities urge anyone with information to contact the Cold Case Squad at (513) 695-2720 or Crime Stoppers.

E-mail jmorse@enquirer.com