Richard Menendez, a 64-year-old Hispanic traveling salesman who sold floral supplies, was shot and killed at his Temple Terrace home on August 18, 1995, during a robbery.

Barthel was arrested on the second day of her senior year at Tampa Bay Tech, in the principal’s office, and charged with robbery and murder. At trial the court heard that Barthel and her accomplices had carried out prior robberies targeting elderly victims, though those earlier incidents reportedly did not involve fatal violence. Barthel was convicted and sentenced to life in prison on December 19, 1996.

Menendez’s widow, Marie Menendez, has publicly opposed any possibility of parole for Barthel, citing the enduring impact of her husband’s killing and the trauma of finding his body. Does anyone have additional details about the earlier robberies or the two accomplices involved?