Accused crossbow killer said she had to kill her mother

A Palmerton woman accused of killing her 71-year-old mother with a crossbow believed that the woman was attacking her and others, including a sheriff’s deputy.

That was according to police who testified at a preliminary hearing for Lisa Marie Caplan Monday at District Justice William Kissner’s office.

Caplan is accused of killing her mother, Sandra Barndt, with a crossbow, and living with her body for two days before she was discovered on Sept. 29.

The crime occurred at the home they shared on First Street in Palmerton.

An autopsy determined that Barndt died of a crossbow bolt to the skull. Caplan told police that on Sept. 27, she shot her mother once in the neck with her crossbow, retrieved another bolt, reloaded it, shot her again in the head, and then went to sleep.

Caplan’s mental state could ultimately determine whether she is convicted of homicide.

District Attorney Jean Engler said that she anticipates that Caplan’s public defender will have her client undergo a psychological evaluation.

“There may be a series of pretrial hearings,” she said. “We’ll take it from there and determine the next step.”

Barndt’s body was discovered during a welfare check after other family members could not reach her and became concerned.

A state police detective who interviewed Caplan immediately after her arrest testified Monday that Caplan understood her Miranda rights, and seemed to be lucid. But under cross examination, he said she made some strange claims during their interview.

“She said some things that did not make sense, but then she was right back on track saying things that did make sense,” state trooper Leo Petrucci said.

One claim was that Barndt had assaulted her and “ripped her stomach open,” and that she made reference to serial killers.

Petrucci said their interview, which was audio and video recorded, lasted about an hour. At the outset, a trooper read Caplan her Miranda rights, and she signed a waiver stating that she understood him.

“She was cooperative, she was calm and she was lucid,” Petrucci said.

The local police officer who discovered Barndt’s body also testified. Adam Shimer of Palmerton Police Department was called to the home to check on Barndt’s well-being said Caplan was outside the home when she arrived, along with another woman.

Shimer said that almost immediately after he arrived, Caplan calmly stated that she had to shoot her mother.

Shimer said he recognized Caplan because there were numerous calls about her behavior in the past, and that she also made many calls to police by herself. He testified that he placed Caplan in his patrol vehicle. He then went inside and found what would turn out to be Barndt’s body, a few feet from the front door, covered in a sheet.

Engler called the situation very sad, especially for Barndt’s other children. One of her sons was in court Monday but did not speak to reporters.

“It is just a very sad family situation,” Engler said.