Bio

Barry Byron Mills was born on July 7, 1948, in California. Mills entered the prison system after an armed robbery conviction in 1969. While in prison, he became connected to the Aryan Brotherhood, a violent prison gang that started in California prisons.

Over time, Mills became one of the Aryan Brotherhood’s senior leaders. He was known by the nickname “The Baron.” Prosecutors later said the gang used violence, threats, coded messages, and orders passed between prisons to control members and rivals.

By the late 1970s, Mills was already involved in serious prison violence. He was convicted in connection with the 1979 killing of inmate John Marsloff at the federal prison in Atlanta.

Federal prosecutors later said Mills continued helping lead the Aryan Brotherhood from high-security prisons, including ADX Florence in Colorado. His criminal activity was linked to prison murders, assaults, drug trafficking, and racketeering.

Murder Story

Barry Byron Mills’ murder history was connected to Aryan Brotherhood prison violence. In 1979, Mills was convicted in the killing of inmate John Marsloff at the federal prison in Atlanta. Reports described the murder as a stabbing with a prison-made weapon.

Mills later became a senior Aryan Brotherhood leader. Prosecutors said he helped direct gang activity from prison using coded messages and secret communication. The gang used violence to control inmates, punish rivals, and protect criminal activity.

In 1989, inmate Arva Lee Ray was killed at the federal prison in Lompoc, California. Mills and other Aryan Brotherhood leaders were later convicted in connection with that murder.

In 1997, two inmates, Frank Joyner and Abdul Salaam, were killed during prison violence at Lewisburg federal prison in Pennsylvania. Prosecutors said Mills and Tyler Bingham helped encourage the violence during a conflict with another prison gang.

In 2006, Mills and other Aryan Brotherhood leaders were convicted in a major federal case involving murder, racketeering, conspiracy, and drug trafficking. Prosecutors sought the death penalty, but the jury did not agree on a death sentence.

Mills received life imprisonment without parole. He was sent back to ADX Florence, the federal supermax prison in Colorado. He died in custody on July 8, 2018.