GUILTY FL - April Barber, 27, shot to death on beach, St Johns County, 17 Aug 2002

[BillyGoatGruff]

This guy is unbelievable -- when asked in his deposition if he remembered the day of the murder -- he says vaguely -- but he does remember they had sex. If this was the day my spouse was murdered, I'd be able to recall every second of every minute with heart aching detail.

Yeah, I noticed that as well. I guess that's what was important to him, huh?
What a narcissisitc *advertiser censored*.

 

[BillyGoatGruff]

Nan -- I think the Guns and Roses song was downloaded 6 hours prior to April's murder and not deleted til September 3rd. He was in the hospital for at least a day or two after the murder and wouldn't have been able to delete the song that night from my understanding. Also he downloaded 16 songs the day of April's murders, several of them were Guns and Roses songs. I think the defense wants the jury to believe that those songs were downloaded by April.

Also Rascal Flats "I'm Moving On" was downloaded at 5pm that day.

"Firewoman" was also downloaded and was downloaded after "I'm Moving On".

Rise was done at 5:03pm

You're Crazy was done at 5:11pm

Knocking on Heaven's Door at 5:17pm

November Rain (Guns and Roses)
She loves Me Not was downloaded
So Excited at 5:20pm

Nerd
16 songs downloaded that afternoon.

Knocking on Heaven's Door is a rather odd/ironic/telling choice as well.

 

[nanandjim]

A couple of things about his mistress's testimony. If it was just a fling, why did he ask her to go to Georgia and California with him? He also bought her a gift of "maple" syrup, after the murder, I think. I read over on the CTV boards that Shannon is from Canada. Did he buy her this gift trying to be cute, you know, Canadian maple leaf??

He also told Shannon that he 'tried to save April.' He didn't try to save her. How?? She was dead. He left and drove 10 miles. Is that his idea of trying to save someone?

Man, this guy is so Scott Peterson-like that it makes me sick.

I think that it is as simple as his wife was going to divorce him. He figured that he would see her dead first because he had $2.4 M of life insurance on her. That Guns and Roses song where 'he could hear her still complaining after he killed her' probably explained how Justin felt about April. She probably was constantly nagging him to straighten up. He had no intention of changing. I would be really curious as to the reason his first wife divorced this guy.

In any case, I am now leaning towards Laci planning to leave Scott, too. These guys seem to have the same thought process.

 

[izzyB]

i just heard jean casaras say that a lot of the computer searches about immigrating to brazil, etc will not come in. too bad. a lot of these searches were done after he killed april and was probably trying to fake his own disappearance.

 

[izzyB]

OK, justin said earlier that he and april used a condom for their afternoon sex, but has just said they did not use a condom for the beach sex right before she was murdered. he stated they used a condom b/c she had missed a few birth control pills....so the same would be true for any time they had sex right?

IMHO this guy is digging his own grave during this deposition. (probably the used condom found in his apartment was not even with april, wink wink.)

 

[CordovaMom]

OK, justin said earlier that he and april used a condom for their afternoon sex, but has just said they did not use a condom for the beach sex right before she was murdered. he stated they used a condom b/c she had missed a few birth control pills....so the same would be true for any time they had sex right?

IMHO this guy is digging his own grave during this deposition. (probably the used condom found in his apartment was not even with april, wink wink.)

My opinion on the condom used for sex at his house is that April knew the guy was cheating on her and didn't want to catch anything. Did they actually have sex at the beach that night? I'm betting on no. Interesting to see what the autopsy results will reveal in that regard.

 

[izzyB]

My opinion on the condom used for sex at his house is that April knew the guy was cheating on her and didn't want to catch anything. Did they actually have sex at the beach that night? I'm betting on no. Interesting to see what the autopsy results will reveal in that regard.

STD as the reason for the condom definitely crossed my mind. i think if april had missed a few bcp, and she also knew the guy was cheating on her, and she was ready for a divorce (having looked at homes with close friends just prior to this)....would not have had sex with him in any event. agree that the ME's testimony will be helpful.


i have just heard him recount the death scene. fake, fake, fake.

 

[indigomood]

This guy is unbelievable -- when asked in his deposition if he remembered the day of the murder -- he says vaguely -- but he does remember they had sex. If this was the day my spouse was murdered, I'd be able to recall every second of every minute with heart aching detail.

Hello CordovaMom,
That struck me as odd, as well. The murder of a loved one would be quite eventful to say the least. So much so, that I think the survivor would replay every second over and over again in their mind. I think those events would be an indelible memory. :behindbar

 

[indigomood]

Thanks for starting this thread. I have been following this case for the past few years. My interest is the result of my husband and I being on the Guana River crosswalk in Ponte Vedra exactly one day before April was murdered. As a seasonal resident of St Augustine, I learned of this case through the St. Aug. newspaper. Imagine our horror when we realized a murder happened there a day after we visited. While very beautiful, the area is very remote and we only saw one person on the beach when we visited. I have never been back to visit. Here is a pic showing the crossover (through the scrub on the way to the beach) where April was left to die. Look at the date (very eerie). So sad!

 

[CordovaMom]

Wow -- Indigo -- that is indeed eerie -- Justin Barber had been to Guana before and knew how isolated this spot was -- what a perfect place for a murder -- no one would hear the gun shots, no one would come upon them unexpectdly. He had the perfect scene to commit murder in. Such a shame that such a beautiful spot should be used for such an ungodly act.

 

[izzyB]

Indigo, thanks for sharing the pic and your observations of the scene. i know you must have felt heart-sick when you heard the news. in his deposition shown on CTV yesterday justin said they had been to that location 3 or 4 times for sex before this. convenient wouldn't you say. i venture a guess that they never had sex at this location.

 

[NoraLee]

Thanks for the pic, indigo. It really is steep. On CTV, it isn't that clear how steep and how many steps are there.

 

[indigomood]

You're very welcome CordovaMom, izzyB and NoraLee...

It's hard to believe that the ocean is indeed on the other side of the scrub. Justin Barber has tainted that beautiful beach and I told hubby I have no desire to visit again. There had also been an unrelated sexual assault there, so knowing that, knowing about this murder and remembering that the location is remote, kind of changes things for me. I liked it better when ignorance was bliss.

Izzy, I think Barber is lying about having sex there too but who knows. So much of what comes out of his mouth is suspect. He conveniently can't remember things during his deposition in the civil case. And he "vaguely" recalls the events on the day of April's murder? The dude is lying, imo :liar:

 

[nanandjim]

... Justin Barber had been to Guana before and knew how isolated this spot was -- what a perfect place for a murder -- no one would hear the gun shots, no one would come upon them unexpectdly...

Yep, I believe that he was quite the planner. He researched information on the Internet six months in advance and also picked out the perfect place to murder April.

I believe that there was no sex with April. It wouldn't surprise me if she told him that she was moving to Oklahoma and wanted a divorce because things weren't working out.

It wouldn't surprise me if Justin went along with it as if it would be an amicable divorce, and they went out to dinner for old time sake and then a walk on the beach.

Of course, this is just speculation. He could have planned to murder her on their anniversary all along because this would be the perfect excuse for celebrating with alcohol, dinner and a romantic walk on the beach.

Either way, I think that he totally caught April off-guard but she did fight for her life, more fiercely than he intended.

 

[CordovaMom]

Did you notice the cargo pants Justin was wearing that night? Plenty of pockets for a gun, but not his cell phone or wallet, that just makes you go hmmmmmm.

 

[izzyB]

Yep, I believe that he was quite the planner. He researched information on the Internet six months in advance and also picked out the perfect place to murder April.

I believe that there was no sex with April. It wouldn't surprise me if she told him that she was moving to Oklahoma and wanted a divorce because things weren't working out.

It wouldn't surprise me if Justin went along with it as if it would be an amicable divorce, and they went out to dinner for old time sake and then a walk on the beach.

Of course, this is just speculation. He could have planned to murder her on their anniversary all along because this would be the perfect excuse for celebrating with alcohol, dinner and a romantic walk on the beach.

Either way, I think that he totally caught April off-guard but she did fight for her life, more fiercely than he intended.

i also am suspicious about his allegation of "sex on the beach", but a phone call this morning took me away from the ME's testimony and i have not heard any of the CTV anchors mention: did the ME find any evidence of sexual intercourse during the autopsy? would the salt water from the near-drowning destroy this evidence? (while i doubt it, i needed to ask).

if anyone heard this testimony and knows the answers i would appreciate it if you would let me know. thanks, izzyB

 

[CordovaMom]

From what I heard, there was no mention of sexual intercourse at all. The only testimony I heard was about the gun shot wounds, the presence of evidence of drowning (white foam), and abrasions that could have been drag marks or something of that sort. If evidence of sexual intercourse was present, I missed that testimony as well.

 

[indigomood]

I didn't hear any testimony from the ME discussing anything related to the genitalia. Cordovamom's recall is what I remember too.

 

[izzyB]

well fellow trial watchers....what are we to make of the fact that the prosecution did not specifically ask, did you find semen? since justin said they had used a condom earlier in the afternoon, this to me would indicate his truthfulness about "sex on the beach" when he claims he did not have a condom. there has got to be a reason this was not asked by either the prosecution or defense??

just as an aside, i wish the prosecutor did not have such a flat affect. he acts like he is bored to be asking these questions. IMHO of course.

 

[CordovaMom]

I'm wondering Izzy if he didn't ask because he knew that after 2 days of April's clothed body laying in the morgue before autopsy, they could neither confirm nor deny the presence of semen. I really think the defense attorney is doing a great job here, If I was guilty of murder I'd hire him in an instant. I'm disappointed in the prosecution and the police in general for the gathering and processing of evidence. Still all in all, if I was on the jury I might be able to explain away the life insurance, cash issues, marital issues, the affairs. Blood spatter evidence on Justin's clothes also might be a wash for me, one expert against another, I'd give him the benefit of doubt if that's all they had. However, I did see a picture of April today, a shocking picture on television before they blurred it out and it showed the flow of blood from the wound and that expert made a lot of sense to me. She was shot where she lay on the sand, also the computer evidence is frighteningly damning. Sure everyone downloads music and if that one Guns and Roses song was all the prosecution had I'd say it was weak. But the internet searches months before the murder, how to collect insurance after a homicide, gunshot trauma to the chest, claiming insurance if the body is not found, etc. etc. I cannot possibly dismiss that evidence. Circumstantial evidence is still evidence and this to me is strong circumstantial evidence. I'd definitely convict him if I were on that jury.