Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more!
Ex-Husband Starts Uncontrollable Blaze on a Georgia Boat in Disturbing Revenge Plot
An "evil, evil" man with a reported history of violence became the prime suspect in the double murder of Karen Barnes and Larry Ford aboard a liveaboard trawler.
A shocking double murder on a liveaboard trawler rocked those living around the wetlands of St. Mary’s River in Georgia. A quick-moving investigation by local and state authorities would not only lead to a suspect with a documented history of violence but a deadly face-off between them and an “evil, evil” killer.
It all began on August 12, 2012, on a blackwater river in the city of St. Mary’s, about 40 miles north of Jacksonville, Florida. Camden County dispatchers received what marine journalist Peter Swanson called a “haunting” 911 call at about 3:00 a.m., hearing the muffled moans and screams of an unknown person, as obtained and published by Deadly Waters with Captain Lee, airing Saturdays at 9/8c on Oxygen.
Though the caller provided no information, investigators traced the phone to the St. Mary’s Boat Yard off New Point Peter Road, according to Detective Misty Gilliland of the St. Mary’s Police Department.
What happened to Karen Barnes' boat?
“As I come to the middle of the causeway, all I could see was this blazing inferno in the river,” Gilliland said. “My stomach just sunk to the floor.”
The heat coming from the anchored vessel was so severe that responders could feel it from the shore, making it impossible to approach the boat safely. Without knowing the cause of the fire — and since water could have exacerbated the blaze — authorities had no choice but to wait for the fire to die.
It was clear that, if anyone was on board, there were no survivors.
“If someone was living on this vessel, it’s essentially like a house fire on water, and there’s the possibility of multiple victims onboard,” said series host Captain Lee.
Authorities soon learned the 37-foot houseboat was a customized Great Harbour Trawler named “Premium Time.” Later confirmed by the boat’s H.I.N. (hull identification number), authorities gleaned the boat belonged to 55-year-old woman Karen Barnes. According to marina locals, she’d recently been spending time with her friend Larry Ford.
As the boat continued to burn, police attempted to contact Ford to no avail. By 6:30 a.m., three hours after responders were called to the fire, the flames had settled enough for authorities to cut the anchor and bring the boat back to the dock.
“The fire wasn’t fully extinguished until about 12:15 that afternoon,” Gilliland told Deadly Waters. “Quite a long time.”
For more in true crime:
Days After Getting Married, Man Dies in Wife's Arms While Defending Her from Serial Killer Intruder
Beloved Teacher Found Slain Right Before Christmas — Who Attacked Her In Broad Daylight?
“He Was Worth More Dead Than Alive”: Woman Hires Brother to Kill Husband for $500K
G.B.I. (Georgia Bureau of Investigation) Special Agent in Charge Cathy Mausolf said that by then, there was “virtually nothing left of the boat.”
Who was on the Premium Time boat?
On the afternoon of the blaze, investigators discovered burned bone fragments on the boat, which were sent to Savannah, Georgia, for a post-mortem examination. DNA testing confirmed the remains belonged to Karen Barnes.
Barnes’ sister, Lesha White, told Deadly Waters that news of her sister’s death was “heart-wrenching,” a sentiment shared by those who knew the decedent best. Susan Graham, a close friend and member of the Great Harbour Trawler community, said the news left everyone “in shock.”
According to White, Barnes came from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and was the oldest of four children. She’d joined White in St. Mary’s, where the younger sister helped her find work as an event planner.
“She loved the beach; she loved to go looking for shells, kayaking, swimming,” said White. “She loved all of it.”
Meanwhile, investigators — still sifting through the boat’s ash — found shell casings on board, leading them to believe that Barnes was shot to death. At the time, they were still looking for her male friend Larry Ford, who — according to Swanson — was a boat technician who frequented the waters of southeast Georgia.
“Larry was just the nicest man; just real laid-back,” said White. “He would help Karen, and she would take him food. He just kinda was there [and] would help anybody with whatever they need[ed] done.”
A medical examiner ultimately contacted investigators, informing them that they had bones belonging not only to Barnes but to Larry Ford, too.
Who was Karen Barnes’ former husband David Trauger?
Locals described Ford as a great guy, but according to witnesses, Barnes was recently “concerned” about her ex-husband, 67-year-old David Trauger, according to Det. Gilliland. The couple had only divorced that very summer.
Barnes and Trauger met at a restaurant in 2009 when Barnes still worked as an event planner, journalist Peter Swanson told Deadly Waters.
“David Trauger, he had an insurance company in Pennsylvania,” said Swanson. “He was financially well off.”
Trauger already owned Premium Time when meeting Barnes, a trawler worth more than half a million dollars, thanks to its customized interior and an additional tender (a small boat used to transport people between the primary boat and shore).
The couple married only months after meeting, and according to White, Trauger’s financial status allowed Barnes to stop working.
But the honeymoon stage didn’t last long.
“Karen was good to David, but David was an alcoholic,” Graham told Deadly Waters. “Karen did say she would never have gotten involved with him if she knew he was an alcoholic.”
White said when Trauger drank, he was “an evil, evil, hateful person.”
Evidence points to David Trauger in Karen Barnes' death
Loved ones and records helped investigators discover Trauger reportedly had jealous fits of rage and went as far as to injure Barnes’ arm so that she required a cast.
In 2012, not long before the double homicide, Barnes reported that Trauger tried to run their vehicle off the road as a form of domestic violence, according to divorce attorney Melissa Cruthirds.
“At that point, Karen came to our firm to file a divorce against her husband, David Trauger,” Cruthirds told Deadly Waters. “She had been in this abusive relationship with David for several years, and she wanted out.”
Both parties worked it out so that Trauger would keep his homes, properties, and business while Barnes was awarded alimony and Premium Time. But the alleged abuse continued, and even after they split, Trauger allegedly stalked Barnes when both resided on Jekyll Island, Georgia, about 50 miles on the coast north of St. Mary’s.
There was a “turning point,” Det. Gilliland said, after a June 2012 incident when Trauger allegedly attempted to break into the Premium Time, though Barnes had changed the locks. The boat was supposed to have been Trauger’s retirement plan, and when Barnes was awarded the trawler, he went into “a downward spiral.”
“He really wanted his boat back,” said Gilliland.
Around that time, Barnes met Jekyll Island regular Larry Ford, and he presumably hoped to help Barnes by giving her a handgun for self-defense, a firearm never found with the boat. Ford also helped Barnes take Premium Time to St. Mary’s in an attempt to hide from the embattled ex-husband, and he lived nearby to make her feel safe.
“They selected the waters out front of St. Mary’s Marine Services’ Boatyard because it was a good place to hide,” Swanson told Deadly Waters. “But David somehow manages to find them.”
The stalking continued, with documented reports that Trauger followed Barnes in a grocery store and allegedly boarded the Premium Time illegally to tamper with the boat’s steering. According to Atty. Cruthirds, Barnes applied for a stay-away order, but the sheriff’s office couldn’t locate Trauger to serve him with papers.
Barnes’ sister, Lesha White, said Barnes stayed with her for her protection just before the double murder, stating she had “a bad feeling” on Aug. 12, 2012, when Barnes left to retrieve some clothes.
What happened to David Trauger?
Multiple agencies helped search for Trauger, the sole suspect in the double homicide, and considered him armed and dangerous. Media published the suspect’s face, and a B.O.L.O. (Be on the Lookout) was issued for Trauger and his vehicle. Eventually, they found Trauger’s truck parked at a local gas station.
Responders located a trail in the woods behind the gas station. They followed it to several personal items, including a wallet and a bloody gun holster, all of which were connected to Trauger.
Searches continued through the day and resumed the next day, though there was no sign of the murder suspect. But on Aug. 15, 2012, at around 9:00 a.m., neighbors from a nearby apartment complex reported they spotted Trauger, who was allegedly staying there.
By the time Det. Misty Gilliland and the others retreated from the forest and arrived at the complex, law enforcement had the place surrounded. Soon, Trauger stepped outside.
Trauger’s response was to draw a handgun and fire one shot in law enforcement’s direction, prompting G.B.I. authorities to fire back, subsequently killing Trauger on the scene. According to overwhelming evidence found after Trauger’s death — including numerous suicide letters and last-wish memos — it was determined that Trauger’s death was suicide by cop.
White told Deadly Waters that she was “disappointed” that her sister’s killer died before hearing the impact the murders had on her life
What investigators believed happened on the night of the Barnes/Ford murders
On Aug. 16, 2012, three days into the investigation, detectives found a Jon boat — a small, flat-bottomed boat commonly used in swamp regions — belonging to Trauger. It had been spray painted black, and had several cinderblocks and gas cans found on board.
“He put cinder blocks in the front of the boat, and this is believed to have been a way of keeping the boat from slapping as it was being pushed through the water, and thus, drawing attention to it,” Swanson explained.
Investigators believed Trauger operated the Jon boat to Premium Time before breaking his way in and shooting Barnes and Ford. At some point, Barnes called 911, but it was already too late. Trauger then doused the boat with gasoline and set fire to Premium Time.
According to White, loved ones “lost a really wonderful person.”
Watch all-new episodes of Deadly Waters with Captain Lee, airing Saturdays at 9/8c on Oxygen.
