Friendship on the Rocks
Warren Barden and William Olden went on a day-long drinking spree in Connecticut on August 26, 1967. The drunken duo crossed the state line into Southwick, Massachusetts, which they were familiar with, having lived there once. They went to various places around town as they continued drinking.
Warren's estranged wife, Dorothy Ann (LeClaire), called the Southwick Police Department on September 10, telling them that her husband told her that he killed a man there back in August. Southwick notified Connecticut State Police, who, along with authorities in New Britain, questioned Warren and held him as a fugitive from justice as Southwick Police Chief James Curran obtained an arrest warrant. (Police also learned that William Olden's family, who described him as a "heavy drinker," had reported him missing to authorities in Connecticut on August 27.)
Warren waived extradition, so Connecticut State Police immediately handed him over to authorities in Southwick, with two officers out of the Hartford barracks assisting in the search for the body, which Warren said he hid off of a lonely stretch of Klaus Anderson Road.
Police combed the area. Chief Curran located a partially decomposed body around 3:00 a.m. on September 11. Later that morning, Warren appeared in Westfield District Court and pleaded innocent to murder. The judge ordered Warren held without bail in the House of Corrections in Springfield as he awaited trial. He later had Warren committed to the Bridgewater State Hospital for a 35-day observation, as was mandatory under Massachusetts law in cases of murder. (See "A Dark Day on Vining Hill").
Meanwhile, Dr. Logie, the medical examiner, said the autopsy failed to identify the cause of death. Because of this, the Commonwealth would have a difficult time getting a murder conviction.
William Olden's family held his funeral on September 12 at the Elm Cemetery in East Granby, Connecticut, where he lived.
During a hearing on September 21, a judge ruled Warren indigent, and a public defender was to be appointed.
Warren told police that William started a fight over drinking, and he beat William to death with a rock and then hid his body in some bushes in a wooded area off of Klaus Anderson Road. (He may or may not have also hit him with a tire iron.)
In a deal with the Commonwealth, Warren pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter. On February 2, 1968, Superior Court Judge Thomas J. O'Malley sentenced him to 10 to 12 years in the Walpole State Prison.
Judge Googel granted Dorothy's request for divorce on December 6, 1968, on the grounds of intolerable cruelty. She was awarded $1 per year in alimony and $1 per year in child support. The couple had three children.
Edited Out/Author's Additional Rough Draft Research Notes
William filed for bankruptcy in 1954. At the time, he had $400 in assets and liabilities totaling $4,590; his wife had liabilities of $3,456.28.
Police fined William in 1959 for driving with a suspended license.
A patrolman in Windsor Locks followed William as his car zigzagged down Spring Street around 3:30 a.m. on March 29, 1963. William turned onto Chestnut Street and slammed into a telephone pole as he attempted to pull into a driveway. William put the vehicle in reverse and tried backing out of the driveway, but the patrolman blocked him with his cruiser. The officer approached the car, which was littered with empty beer cans. When asked to produce his operator's license, William said he misplaced it. A check by the officer revealed that William lied - his license had been suspended.
William was arrested and charged with drunk driving, driving with a suspended license, and reckless driving. (William's passenger, who told the officer that William had been drinking, was not charged.)
William worked at the Windy Hill Farm in East Granby. He left behind four sons and a daughter.
William Frances Olden: 1929 - 08/26/1967.
Warren Everett Barden: 05/25/1940 - 10/07/2001.
Dorothy Ann (LeClaire) (Barden) Eaton: 12/17/1944 -
David Warren Barden: 12/28/1965 - 06/06/2018.
Laurie Ann (Barden) Freeman*: 06/11/1962 - 09/05/2018.
Linda Jean Barden: 08/16/1964 - 03/25/2005.
Claus J. Anderson: 1866 - 04/03/1924.
Chief James Thomas Curran: 02/04/1925 - 11/05/1992.
Judge Samuel S. Googel: 12/16/1903 - 09/16/1988.
Judge Arthur T. Garvey: 01/06/1903 - 01/02/1986.
Dr. Arthur J. Logie: 09/27/1891 - 07/27/1979.
One of Warren's brothers lived in New Britain. His ex-wife lived there too.
Warren and Dorothy were married in Granby, Connecticut, on August 24, 1961. They had three children (a boy and two girls).
Warren's mother died in 1964.
Domestic problems started plaguing the couple in 1965-66. A court in Connecticut found Warren guilty of breach of peace on February 26, 1965. Police arrested him on February 3 after Dorothy notified them that he had been drinking and struck her.
Warren joined the army and was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas. He served in Vietnam. His final resting place is the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona, located in Phoenix.
At one time, Warren lived in Missouri.
Laurie Ann died from complications of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Her name may have been Laurie Ann (Barden) (Dennis) or (Desrosier/Derosier) Freeman.
Warren and Dorothy's son, David, died of brain cancer in 2018. He fought the good fight, but while the disease won in the end, he didn't let it dampen his spirit or love of life.
Under pressure from selectmen, Chief Curran resigned from the Southwick Police Department in 1975. Because he resigned, the Town of Southwick agreed to drop charges against him. The position paid $15,000 per year. Chief Curran was known to take a hard stance on littering.
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