In the summer of 1988, the city of Memphis was shadowed by a series of brutal crimes that would later be connected to one man. The first victim in this string of violence was a 25-year-old female named Sharon Denise Moore. On August 15th, her body was discovered on Weakley Street, the cause of death being multiple gunshot wounds. The initial investigation into her murder led police to a 39-year-old man named Larry Eugene Ward.
Ward was arrested and charged with second-degree murder in connection with Moore's death. His arrest came after he was involved in an unrelated incident where he fired a shotgun at a police officer.
However, the case took a dramatic turn as more crimes occurred. Between August and November of that year, a man named James Antonio Barnes targeted and attacked at least five individuals in various Memphis neighborhoods. His method was consistent: he would pick up his victims, drive them to secluded areas, and shoot them with a. 32 caliber automatic pistol. Three of these attacks proved to be fatal.
The break in the case came when two of Barnes' victims who survived their attacks positively identified him as their assailant. Following his arrest on November 10, 1988, Barnes willingly confessed to the murders, including that of Sharon Denise Moore. In light of his confession, the second-degree murder charges against Larry Eugene Ward were dropped, clearing him of any involvement in the crime.
As the legal proceedings against Barnes unfolded, the full scope of his violent spree became apparent. In September 1997, to avoid the death penalty, Barnes entered a guilty plea to three counts of second-degree murder as part of a plea deal. He was sentenced to 40 years in prison with the possibility of parole after serving 16 years. After his conviction, authorities investigated his potential involvement in other unsolved murders in Memphis and his native Detroit, but no further charges were filed. James Antonio Barnes was released from prison on April 10, 2016.
