Robert Wayne Murray (Palm Beach County Sheriff”s Office).
A Florida man will spend the rest of his life behind bars after repeatedly stabbing his girlfriend to death, court records show.
In August, a jury in Palm Beach County found Robert Wayne Murray, 60, guilty of murder in the first degree with a deadly weapon and armed burglary.
On Friday, Murray received two life sentences without the possibility of parole for the September 2020 murder of 63-year-old Jenie Barbato. Circuit Judge Sarah Willis ordered these sentences to be served consecutively, meaning one after the other.
On Sept. 14, 2020, Murray bypassed security at the Century Village retirement community in West Palm Beach and entered Barbato’s apartment through a broken window.
Murray then attacked his former girlfriend with a large butcher’s knife, stabbing her 11 times in the upper back and torso, as determined by the authorities.
The violence was apparently fueled by resentment that Barbato had stopped talking to the man, evidence suggested.
In a 911 call, a man reported that Murray was distraught because his girlfriend had stopped communicating with him and that he was contemplating suicide. Investigators later confirmed that Murray himself made the call, according to court documents sourced by Tequesta-based ABC affiliate WPBF.
Authorities also discovered that Murray had texted two individuals previously, trying to persuade them to contact Barbato, according to an incident report obtained by WPBF in 2020.
At the time, Barbato had blocked Murray’s number. While relaying his silent treatment and asking for the outreach, Murray sent the message: “Okay thanks if she don’t do it watch the news.”
Authorities were familiar with Barbato and Murray after a series of reported domestic incidents, law enforcement said at the time.
On the night of the murder, deputies performed a welfare check after a neighbor saw the broken window of Barbato’s apartment.
Upon arrival, law enforcement noted blood on the window lock and on the front door. The result of the crime was visible through the window – the slain woman was lying facedown on the floor in a pool of blood.
Family members were thankful the lengthy process of formal justice had finally run its course.
“I am filled with so much emotion,” one of Barbato’s daughters told West Palm Beach-based CBS affiliate WPEC after the sentencing hearing. “It’s been five years — five very long years — but we have come to a resolution.”
Barbato was also remembered fondly.
“She’s a beautiful, wonderful, caring mom,” another daughter told WPEC. “She is my heart, my everything. Ten years ago, she had a heart transplant at Emory University. This month is her 10-year heart transplant anniversary. Today should have been a celebration.”
