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Murder of Christopher Barrios Jr.

SOLVED2007Brunswick, Georgia, United States3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
Illustrative

Christopher Michael Barrios Jr., a six-year-old boy, was killed on March 8, 2007, in Brunswick, Georgia. According to prosecutors, he was lured to the Edenfield family's mobile home near where he lived with his extended family, sexually assaulted, and strangled. David Edenfield was later convicted of the murder; his son George Edenfield was charged but ruled incompetent to stand trial.

The indictment alleged the boy was sexually abused before being killed, and that David Edenfield later confessed and that a family member helped dispose of the body. On March 15, 2007, a state ranger found the boy's partially concealed body wrapped in numerous black plastic garbage bags in a wooded area a few miles from his family's home.

George, David, and Peggy Edenfield were all accused in connection with the abduction and murder. A fourth person, Donald Dale, was originally charged with tampering with evidence and concealing a body; he later pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of lying to police, and Superior Court Judge Stephen Scarlett transferred him to a mental-health facility and banished him from Glynn County. Peggy Edenfield testified against her husband David and agreed to testify against her son George; in exchange, she avoided the death penalty and was sentenced to sixty years in prison.

David Homer Edenfield's murder trial began on September 29, 2009, and concluded on October 5, 2009. The prosecution relied heavily on his videotaped confession and his wife's testimony. Medical examiner Dr. Jamie Downs testified about the extent of trauma found on Christopher's body and the manner of death, which corroborated Edenfield's taped confession. After roughly two hours of deliberation, the jury returned a guilty verdict on all counts, and on October 6, 2009, David Edenfield was sentenced to death. As of June 2023, he remained on death row awaiting execution.

On August 3, 2010, George Edenfield was ruled mentally incompetent to stand trial and was committed to a state mental hospital for evaluation, with mental health experts to determine the likelihood of his becoming competent in the future.

Both David and George Edenfield had prior histories of sexual offenses. David Edenfield was charged in 1994 with incest involving his daughter and pleaded guilty, receiving ten years probation. George Edenfield was convicted of two counts of child molestation in May 1997 and given probation; in September 2006, he was indicted for violating that probation by living too close to a park, and on March 5, 2007, days before Christopher's abduction, he was again sentenced to ten years probation. A 2006 Georgia law barring sex offenders from living near parks and other child-focused locations reportedly contributed to the Edenfields relocating to the trailer park where Christopher lived.

In October 2008, a photograph of Christopher Barrios appeared without authorization in an episode of the Soapnet series General Hospital: Night Shift; the show's producers said they were unsure how they obtained the photo and apologized, and the Barrios family filed a civil suit against Soapnet for invasion of privacy.

Key facts

Victims
Christopher Michael Barrios Jr.
Date
2007
Location
Brunswick, Georgia, United States
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 2001-01-02

    Christopher Michael Barrios Jr. is born.

  2. 1994

    David Edenfield is charged with incest involving his daughter and pleads guilty, receiving ten years probation.

  3. 1997-05

    George Edenfield is convicted of two counts of child molestation and given probation.

  4. 2006-09

    George Edenfield is indicted for violating probation by living too close to a park in downtown Brunswick.

  5. 2007-03

    George Edenfield is sentenced to ten years probation for the probation violation, days before Christopher's abduction.

  6. 2007-03-08

    Christopher Barrios Jr. is lured to the Edenfield family mobile home, sexually assaulted, and strangled.

  7. 2007-03-15

    A state ranger discovers Christopher Barrios Jr.'s body concealed in garbage bags in a wooded area.

  8. 2008-10

    A photo of Christopher Barrios appears without authorization in a General Hospital: Night Shift episode on Soapnet.

  9. 2009-09-29

    David Homer Edenfield's murder trial begins.

  10. 2009-10-05

    The jury finds David Edenfield guilty on all counts after about two hours of deliberation.

  11. 2009-10-06

    David Edenfield is sentenced to death.

  12. 2010-08-03

    George Edenfield is ruled mentally incompetent to stand trial and is committed to a state mental hospital for evaluation.

Best coverage

No approved coverage links are attached yet.

People

  • Stephen Scarlett

    LAW ENFORCEMENT

    Superior Court Judge who accepted Donald Dale's plea and ordered his transfer to a mental-health facility and banishment from Glynn County.

  • Jamie Downs

    LAW ENFORCEMENT

    Medical examiner who performed Christopher Barrios Jr.'s autopsy and testified at David Edenfield's trial regarding trauma and manner of death.

  • Christopher Michael Barrios Jr.

    VICTIM

    Six-year-old boy raped and murdered in Brunswick, Georgia, in March 2007.

  • Donald Dale

    CONVICTED

    Originally charged with tampering with evidence and concealing a body; pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of lying to police and was transferred to a mental-health facility and banished from Glynn County.

  • George Edenfield

    CHARGED

    Accused of Christopher Barrios Jr.'s abduction and murder; ruled mentally incompetent to stand trial in August 2010 and committed to a state mental hospital for evaluation.

  • Peggy Edenfield

    CONVICTED

    Sentenced to sixty years in prison after testifying against her husband David and agreeing to testify against her son George in exchange for avoiding the death penalty.

  • David Homer Edenfield

    CONVICTED

    Convicted on all counts in October 2009 for the murder of Christopher Barrios Jr. and sentenced to death.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Places

Brunswick, Georgia, United States

31.1499, -81.4915

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
Six-year-old Christopher Barrios Jr. was lured, sexually assaulted, and killed in Brunswick, Georgia, in March 2007. David Edenfield was convicted and sentenced to death; his wife Peggy was convicted, and their son George was charged but ruled incompetent to stand trial.
Where did the murder happen?
Brunswick, Georgia, United States.
Who was convicted?
Donald Dale (Originally charged with tampering with evidence and concealing a body; pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of lying to police and was transferred to a mental-health facility and banished from Glynn County.), Peggy Edenfield (Sentenced to sixty years in prison after testifying against her husband David and agreeing to testify against her son George in exchange for avoiding the death penalty.), and David Homer Edenfield (Convicted on all counts in October 2009 for the murder of Christopher Barrios Jr. and sentenced to death.).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved.
More cases in Georgia

Sources

  1. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — NBC NewsNBC News · 2026-07-10
  2. PRESSJudge commits George Edenfield to mental hospital in Barrios slayingjacksonville.com · 2026-07-10
  3. ENCYCLOPEDICMurder of Christopher Barrios Jr.Wikipedia · 2026-07-10

Record history

First published
JUL 10, 2026