Too Late to Say Goodbye: A True Story of Murder and Betrayal

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LSO BY
A
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R
ULE

Green River, Running Red

Heart Full of Lies

Every Breath You Take

Bitter Harvest

…And Never Let Her Go

Dead by Sunset

Everything She Ever Wanted

If You Really Loved Me

The Stranger Beside Me

Possession

Small Sacrifices

No Regrets

Worth More Dead

Kiss Me, Kill Me

Without Pity

Last Dance, Last Chance

Empty Promises

A Rage to Kill

The End of the Dream

In the Name of Love

A Fever in the Heart

You Belong to Me

A Rose for Her Grave

The I-5 Killer

The Want-Ad Killer

Lust Killer

FREE PRESS
A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020

The names of some individuals in this book have been changed.
Such names are indicated by an asterisk (*) the first time each appears in the book.

Copyright 2007 by Ann Rule

Photo Credits
Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 35, 36, 51, 52, 59 (Barber Family)
Photos: 6, 7, 8 (Shelly Mansfield)
Photos: 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 18, 19, 20, 58 (Hearn Family)
Photos: 17, 21, 22, 23, 43 (Richmond County Crime Scene Photos)
Photos: 34, 37, 38, 39, 40, 42 (Gwinnett County Police Department
Crime Scene Photos)
Photo 41 (Marcus Head)
Photos: 47 (Chris Thelen), 48, 49, 50 (Annette Drowlette,
Augusta Chronicle)
Photos: 53, 55, 56, 57 (Vino Wong,
Atlanta Journal Constitution)
Photos: 16, 44, 45, 46, 54, 60, 61 (Ann Rule)

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Free Press Subsidiary Rights
Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020

FREE PRESS and colophon are trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Visit us on the World Wide Web:
http://www.SimonSays.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Rule, Ann.
Too late to say goodbye: a true story of murder and betrayal / by Ann Rule.—1st Free Press hardcover ed.
p. cm.
1. Corbin, Jennifer, d. 2004. 2. Hearn, Dorothy.
3.Murder—Georgia—Case studies. 4. Murder victims—Georgia—Biography. 5. Murder—Investigation—Georgia. I. Title.
HV6533.G4R86 2007
364.152'3092—dc22 2007009168
ISBN-13: 978-1-4165-5689-3
ISBN-10: 1-4165-5689-3

To All Women Who Are Living in Fear of Recrimination

And Stalking, in a Kind of Captivity, At the Hands of

Men They Once Loved and Trusted

In the Hope

That They Will Find a Safe Way Out

And

To Domestic Violence Groups

Who Are Doing Their

Best to Help

A
CKNOWLEDGMENTS

I
N ANY NONFICTION BOOK
, the input of experts and those who have actually experienced the events therein is essential. This is never more true than in a book about actual criminal cases. The crimes itself, the victim(s), the suspects, the survivors, friends, and the investigators, prosecutors, and judges cannot be fully explored without the contributions of those who were
there
. When I traveled to Georgia in 2006, I knew only the most basic facts of this true story, and, as always, I worried that I would never discover enough to write the case in the depth I hoped for. Looking back now, I cannot thank the people I met enough for their willingness to show me the multifaceted aspects of two extraordinary investigations into a tragic and convoluted progression of events.

I have always found the residents of Georgia to be gracious and welcoming and my research in Gwinnett County and Richmond County certainly enhanced that impression. Public officials and private individuals in both counties were very open as they allowed me to research vital information, and consented to interviews. They shared their feelings and opinions with me, kept me from getting lost on unfamiliar freeways and country roads, filled me in on Georgia law, and explained the intricacies of advanced forensic science techniques.

Dozens of people who knew and loved Dolly Hearn, Jenn Corbin, and Bart Corbin shared their memories with me, even though they were saddened and shocked by events they could never have foretold.

I’d like to note the following people who were significant in helping me find the truth in
Too Late to Say Goodbye
:

Max, Narda, and Rajel Barber; Heather and Doug Tierney; Barbara and Dr. Carlton Hearn Sr. and Gil Hearn; Catherine Siewick, and Jane Hearn.

Detective Marcus Head, Sergeant E. T. Edkin of the Gwinnett County Police Department.

Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny Porter and his staff—particularly Chuck Ross, Jack Burnette, Russ Halcome, Mike Pearson, and Jeff Lamphier.

Judge Michael C. Clark and Greg Lundy.

Richmond County District Attorney Danny Craig and his staff: Jason Troiano and Parks White.

Scott Peebles and DeWayne Piper of the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office.

Danny Brown, M.D., of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

And, in no particular order, a number of individuals who went out of their way to help me with various aspects of my research: Major Cathie Higgins, Jennifer Rupured, Stacey Ducker, Katherine Sherrington Meyer, Shelly Mansfield, Sheila Hanna, Prioleau Murray, Beverly Knowlton Fournier, Teresa Yawn, Dot Nelems, Darlene Hurst, Julie Hurst, Grace Yrizarry, Randy Ransom, Jennifer Grossman, Renee Walker, Pamela Earley, Loriann Hargis, Dienne Ogletree, Dara Prentice, Bob Reynolds, Sharon Shaw, Nancy J. Fontaine, Beverly Hawkins, Rosemary Heatherly, Ramona Lindsay Cathey, Karen Pirkle, Ilene Nicols, Valynda Vaughn, Pam Prouty, Bill Bufford, Kim Covington, Angie Echols, Maria Bips, Angela Hart, Millie Cartznes, Debbie Whitley, Amanda Jones, Tim Garrett, and Jo Busch, and the hundreds of “ARFs” (Ann Rule Fans) who post on my website’s guestbook at www.annrules.com.

To my fellow journalists: Andria Simmons,
The Gwinnett Daily Post,
Lateef Mungin, and Anna Varela,
The Atlanta Journal Constitution,
and Steve Huff at [email protected].

To Drs. Amy Harper, Steven Smith, Kjersten Gmeiner, and Edward Benson of Group Health and their staffs, for their understanding and expertise.

And, finally, in this book that took two-and-a-half years to bring to fruition, I thank the Free Press/Simon & Schuster team that always stands behind me—or pulls me forward: Fred Hills, my editor for eighteen years, whose tenacity helped me weave any loose ends or frustrating details into a book that came in on time, Carolyn Reidy, president of Simon & Schuster, always an inspiration, my encouraging publisher Martha Levin, her assistant, Maria Bruk Auperin, who kept the puzzle pieces where they belonged and never lost her cool, Hilda Koparanian in charge of production, Erich Hobbing the artist responsible for what I think is an outstanding book design and who also is responsible for the photo section, and Carol de Onís and Tom Pitoniak who oversaw the copy editing, detecting all the troublesome spots my own eye missed. I know I’ve said it before, but it’s still true: no author writes a book alone.

To my perennial “first reader,” and gentle critic: Gerry Hay.

And, as always, to the best literary agents an author could hope for, in gratitude for the many, many years we have been together: Joan and Joe Foley.

C
AST OF
C
HARACTERS

JENNIFER MONIQUE BARBER CORBIN 1971–2004 DR. BARTON THOMAS CORBIN, HER HUSBAND

Dalton and Dillon Corbin, her sons

Max and Narda Barber, her parents

Rajel Barber and Heather Barber Tierney, her sisters

Doug Tierney, her brother-in-law

Eugene and Connie Corbin, Barton’s parents

Bradley Corbin, Barton’s twin brother

Bobby Corbin, Barton’s younger brother

Edwina Tims, Bradley’s wife

Suzanne Corbin, Bobby’s wife

DOROTHY CARLISLE “DOLLY” HEARN 1962–1990

Dr. Carlton Hearn Sr. and Barbara Hearn, her parents