Marlin Barnes
Miami Hurricanes
PositionLinebacker
Personal information
Born:(1974-04-06)April 6, 1974
Died:April 13, 1996(1996-04-13) (aged 22)
Coral Gables, Florida[1]
Weight220 lb (100 kg)
Career history
CollegeMiami (1995)

Marlin Adarryl Barnes (April 6, 1974 – April 13, 1996)[1] was a linebacker for the University of Miami. He was found shot and beaten to death in his apartment in 1996, along with his longtime friend, Timwanika Lumpkins.[2] Barnes was a six-foot, 220-pound linebacker who played second string for the Hurricanes. Barnes and former Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis were roommates at the University of Miami.

Murder

On the morning of April 13, 1996, Barnes' body was discovered when his roommate Earl Little came home to pick up the keys to his truck. Little found that someone had slashed two of the tires on his truck, and when he attempted to open the door to the apartment, he noticed that there was something obstructing the door. When Earl looked through an opening in the door, he saw the Barnes' body slumped against the door with a pool of blood surrounding him. Barnes was severely injured and had nearly lost his entire face in what appeared to be a brutal beating, and was close to death when Little found him. By the time the police arrived, Barnes was already dead. It was discovered that Barnes had been beaten to death with a blunt object. After a thorough search of the rest of the apartment, police found the beaten and broken, yet alive, body of Barnes’ girlfriend, Timwanika Lumpkins, pinned between the bed and the wall. She later died in the hospital.[3][4]

Investigation

After seventeen days of investigation, it was concluded that Lumpkins’ ex-boyfriend Labrant Dennis had entered the apartment after slashing the tires on Little's car. After entering the apartment, Dennis proceeded to beat Barnes twenty-two times with the butt of a shotgun. When he was done with Barnes, he turned on Lumpkins, doing the same to her as he did to Barnes.[3] Dennis was sentenced to the death penalty[5] and, as of 2018, was still on death row.[6]

Aftermath

In December 1996, the University of Miami agreed to a financial settlement with the families of Barnes and Lumpkins due to the murders having occurred in an on-campus apartment. All parties agreed to maintain the confidentiality of the settlement terms. But the Miami Herald reported that each family received more than $1 million.[7][8]

In 2003, the Discovery Channel documentary series The New Detectives covered the case in the episode named "Crimes of Passion" (S08E10) with the similar murder case of Ralph Gawor from Fresno, California.

The Investigation Discovery documentary series The Perfect Murder, in an episode titled "The Last Blitz"' (S5; E10), air date: September 27, 2018, run time: 42 minutes, depicts the Barnes-Lumpkins murders and the shock waves experienced by the University of Miami campus and community.[9][10]

References

  1. 1 2 Marlin Adarryl Barnes, Florida Death Index, 1877-1998. FamilySearch. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
  2. ↑ "A Friend To All". Sun-Sentinel. 21 April 1996. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
  3. 1 2 Skolnick, Ethan J. (13 April 2006). "Healing comes slowly". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
  4. ↑ "Arrest Reported in Death of Football Player | UPI". MIAMI: United Press International. 1 May 1996. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  5. ↑ GREGORY, DAMIAN P. (27 February 1999). "UM MURDER GETS DEATH". Miami Bureau. MIAMI: Sun-Sentinel.com. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  6. ↑ Labrant Dennis Archived 2015-01-29 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ↑ "UM Will Pay Out To Families Of 2 Students Slain In April". tribunedigital-orlandosentinel. CORAL GABLES: Orlando Sentinel. 8 December 1998. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  8. ↑ "U. of Miami to Pay Families of Murdered Athlete and Friend". The Chronicle of Higher Education. 20 December 1996. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  9. ↑ "The Perfect Murder - The Last Blitz (TV Episode 2018) | IMDb". IMDb.com Inc. 27 September 2018. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
  10. ↑ "The Last Blitz | The Perfect Murder". www.investigationdiscovery.com. Discovery Communications, LLC. 27 September 2018. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
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