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Rachel Barber, The Popular Australian Teenager Who Was Murdered By Her Jealous Babysitter
In 1999, Rachel Barber was a teenage dancer on her way to stardom. The 15-year-old was a full-time student at the Dance Factory in Melbourne, Australia. She was beautiful, athletic, and popularand the Barber familys babysitter was so jealous of her success that she murdered her.Caroline Reed Robertson was 19 years old, and according to her, Barber was everything that she wasnt.She once wrote in her journal that Barber was strikingly attractive with very clear pale skin and hypnotic green eyes. Meanwhile, she described herself as a pizza face with brown oily hair and no coordination.Barber Family/Find A GraveRachel Barber was a teenage dancer and aspiring model before her murder.During her time babysitting for the family, Robertson developed an odd obsession with Barber. On Feb. 28, 1999, she invited Barber to come to her apartment the next day to participate in a psychological study. There, Robertson killed her, and she later buried her on her fathers land.Perhaps most chilling of all, however, was what investigators found in Robertsons apartment after Barbers murder: an application for a birth certificate in Barbers name. Robertson was so obsessed with Barber that she wanted to become her and she went to ultimate lengths to do so.The Disturbing Murder Of Rachel BarberOn the evening of Feb. 28, 1999, Caroline Reed Robertson called Rachel Barber and told her she could make $100 by participating in a psychological study the very next day. She told Barber to come to her apartment after her classes at the Dance Factory, but she warned the 15-year-old that she couldnt tell anyone about the study or she risked compromising the results.So Barber didnt tell anyone where she was going after school on March 1st or even that she had spoken with the babysitter. She simply met up with Robertson, rode the tram to her apartment, and enjoyed a slice of pizza, according to Mamamia.Caroline Reed Robertson reportedly murdered Rachel Barber out of jealousy.Robertson told Barber that they would begin the study by meditating and thinking about happy and pleasant things. As Barber closed her eyes and relaxed, Robertson wrapped a telephone cord around her neck and strangled her to death.Robertson then shoved Barbers body into a wardrobe, where it stayed for several days. Later, she wrapped the corpse in two rugs, stuffed it into an army bag, and hired a taxi to help her move a statue to her fathers property. There, she buried Barber in the family pet cemetery. Meanwhile, police were frantically searching for Rachel Barber. Her family had reported her missing after she failed to return home from school on March 1st, but since she hadnt told anyone about her conversation with Robertson, investigators werent sure where to start. It wasnt long, however, before they were able to track down Barbers killer.How Police Solved Rachel Barbers MurderIn the days after murdering Barber, Caroline Reed Robertson became withdrawn. She went to work on March 2nd, but she appeared so ill that a fellow employee drove her home, according to the Herald Sun. She called out sick from work for the next few days, lying low at home. At the same time, investigators were trying to trace Rachel Barbers steps on the day of her disappearance. They soon noticed the phone call from Robertson in the Barber familys phone records. And witnesses who had seen Barber on the tram the night of her death noted that she was with a plain-looking woman. Detectives went to Robertsons apartment on March 12, 1999, and found her unconscious on her bedroom floor. She suffered from epilepsy and had experienced a seizure, likely brought on by the stress of the murder and its aftermath. Barber Family/Find A GraveRachel Barber was just 15 years old when she was murdered by her familys 19-year-old babysitter.In the apartment, the police also found Robertsons journal, which was filled with incriminating material. One entry read: Drug Rachel (toxic over mouth), put body into army bags and disfigure and dump somewhere way out. Another detailed her plan to cover up the murder: Check farm (including bag) Tuesday arrange bank loan Moving van Night to disguise hair Thoroughly clean house, and steam clean carpet.Alongside the journal were two applications: one for a birth certificate in Rachel Barbers name and another for a $10,000 bank loan. Investigators believe that Robertsons intention was to run off and live under Barbers identity elsewhere. Instead, she admitted to her crimes on March 13th and was taken into custody to await trial for murder. The Trial And Imprisonment Of Caroline Reed RobertsonIn October 2000, Caroline Reed Robertson was sentenced to 20 years in prison for Rachel Barbers murder. Judge Frank Vincent noted Robertsons abnormal, almost obsessional interest in Barber and stated, I find the deliberation and malevolence with which you acted extremely disturbing.The prosecutor on the case, Jeremy Rapke, cited Robertsons infatuation with Barber as the motive for the murder. It does seem likely that the motive is to be found in the accuseds obsession and her jealousy of [Rachels] attractiveness, popularity, and success.Robertson had never been popular and she struggled with low self-esteem. She reportedly once painted a portrait of herself that was completely black. By trying to magically reinvent herself in Barbers image, as forensic psychiatrist Justin Barry-Walsh put it, Robertson perhaps thought that she could become as successful and beloved as Barber had been.YouTubeAfter killing Rachel Barber, Caroline Reed Robertson called herself an alien with horrible things bottled up inside.Robertson was diagnosed with a personality disorder after the murder, with Judge Vincent calling her a real danger to any who may become the unfortunate subject of [her] fixation. She spent 15 years in prison before she was released on parole in 2015.The killer never expressed remorse for her crimes. In fact, she seemingly spent her time behind bars drastically changing her physical appearance to look more like her victim. The difference was so stark that Barbers mother noticed it immediately the first time she saw Robertson again.Theres a Rachel likeness there, she said. The eyes.After learning about the chilling murder of Rachel Barber, go inside the disturbing torture and death of British teenager Suzanne Capper. Then, discover how Christopher Wilder lured women to their deaths with the promise of a modeling contract.The post Rachel Barber, The Popular Australian Teenager Who Was Murdered By Her Jealous Babysitter appeared first on All That's Interesting.
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