In the quiet community of Corinth, Kentucky, a tragic and bizarre series of events led to the death of 51-year-old Barry Kenner, a White male. On the evening of August 18, 2018, Kenner made a desperate call to 911, reporting that he had been shot. In his final moments, he identified his assailant as Paul James Jr., a 39-year-old man also from Corinth.
Emergency services arrived at the Keefer Lawrenceville Road residence and Kenner was airlifted to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, but he ultimately succumbed to his injuries.
The investigation into Kenner's death revealed a motive rooted not in evidence or a tangible dispute, but in a dream. Paul James Jr. held Kenner responsible for the death of his brother, who had passed away from a drug overdose and subsequent drowning. This belief was not based on any factual information but was instead sparked by a dream another of James's brothers had, which implicated Kenner in the death. This dream fueled a desire for vengeance in James, leading him to plan and carry out the fatal shooting of an unarmed Kenner. There was no evidence to suggest Kenner had any involvement in the death of James's brother.
Following the shooting and Kenner's identification of his attacker, Paul James Jr. was arrested and charged with murder. The legal proceedings faced delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but in May 2022, a Grant County jury found James guilty of murder. He was subsequently sentenced to life in prison, with an additional five-year sentence for witness tampering to be served concurrently. The verdict brought a sense of relief to Kenner's family, who remembered him as an avid outdoorsman with a love for hunting, fishing, and growing tomatoes. He was a member of the NRA and attended the Grassy Run Baptist Church.
