Execution Report: Odell Barnes Jr.

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A jury found Barnes guilty of capital murder in May 1991 and sentenced him to death. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the conviction and sentence in February 1994. All of his subsequent appeals in state and federal court were denied.

In 1998, DNA testing was performed on a washcloth found at the crime scene and a vaginal swab taken from the victim. The test concluded that the probability that the DNA belonged to anyone but Barnes was 1 in 54 billion.

Barnes maintained that he was innocent of the murder. He and his attorneys and supporters maintained that the physical evidence used against him was manufactured by the state. For example, they claimed that the lamp in Bass's bedroom had been there for at least five years and that Barnes was Bass's boyfriend and had been in the house numerous times. They also said that the eyewitnesses, Roger Brooks and Patrick Williams, gave conflicting testimonies, and that Johnny Ray Humphrey and Joseph Barnes, who testified against Odell Barnes, were either involved in the murder or had made a deal with prosecutors to get out of other crimes.

The day of his execution, when asked what he wanted for his final meal, Barnes answered, "Justice, equality, and world peace."

"I'd like to send great love to all my family members, my supporters, my attorneys," Barnes said in his final statement. "I thank you for proving my innocence, although it has not been acknowledged by the courts." He was pronounced dead at 6:34 p.m.

By David Carson. Posted on 6 June 2002.
Sources: Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Texas Attorney General's office, Associated Press.