20/20 - Death in the Dorms Season 2: Episode 3: Marlin Barnes

Episode Date: January 7, 2025

University of Miami linebacker Marlin Barnes and his friend, Timwanika Lumpkins, are murdered on campus in 1996, shocking the community. Originally Aired: 02/22/24 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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responsibly. BetMGM.com for Ts and Cs. 19 plus to Wager. Ontario only. Please play responsibly. If you have questions or concerns about your gambling or someone close to you, please contact connects Ontario at 1-866-531-2600 to speak to an advisor free of charge. Bet MGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario. Hey there 2020 listeners, this week we're going to be bringing you episode three of Death in the Dorms, season two, a true crime series from ABC News Studios. Today we'll hear the story of Marlon Barnes, a linebacker at the University of Miami and his childhood friend,

Timonika Lumpkins, whose visit to campus unraveled into a night of shocking events that nobody saw coming. Miami in the 90s, this is the time of hurricanes football. He told me he was gonna go to UM and he was gonna play football. He was gonna go to UM and he was gonna play football. Saturday morning, April 13th, I started paging him and I just kept paging him and he never called me. He had to survive a lot to get to UM. For that to happen to him on campus, it was like,

that can't be true. Everybody's scared. Nobody knows how it happened, why it happened. The death of Marlon Barnes really rocked this program. This was not a robbery. Somebody meant to kill the person. He has been brutally beaten. meant to kill the person.

He has been brutally beaten. He's almost unrecognizable. I just couldn't put it together. He was not that kind of person where he would make someone want to hurt him. Who committed this bloody double murder? I don't know the destination and what's my mode of transportation. So if I'm not striding toward better, then tell me what the purpose is

I feel a breakthrough coming over that nervousness I need Pepto as I take chances, klepto Finder of the past and the future at present But never step back unless I'm rocking retros Cause second chances, you don't always get those Cause second chances, you don't always get those. Because second chances, you don't always get those. ["Sweet Home"] ["Sweet Home"]

["Sweet Home"] ["Sweet Home"] ["Sweet Home"] When I was 16, I got pregnant with Marlon. ["Sweet Home"] I got my GED because I had a second child while I was in high school, and a couple events happened. Marlon was two years old at the time.

Gary was 10 months when their dad was murdered. Marlin's dad got into a fight and his friend pulled out a gun bit of a pain in the ass. This is the Elizabeth City area right here. It's not easy raising your children in government housing projects to keep my kids safe. I usually encourage them to have their friends come to our house. Marlon was a happy child. He had a lot of friends. The kids, they felt safe, I think, you know, being in my home. Marlon's house was another atmosphere for us, you know what I'm saying, but the volume was higher.

One morning, I made breakfast, and I called out to the kids to come down to eat. And I had about 15 kids come down. After that, I would check the rooms and I would make enough food so that everybody could eat. It was just amazing to me because she was a single parent, but you never could see if she was struggling. because she was a single parent. But you never could see if she was struggling.

Charlie always kept a positive attitude, always told us about doing the right thing. Marlon was every bit of Charlie. You know, he was every bit of her. Marlon used to come to my house and lead the prayer. It was like, he read the Bible, volunteer. He was different. No matter what, he always had a good heart, you know, far as helping people.

When Marlon was a little boy, he loved football. He would play football on the streets like with the other kids. As a child, Marlon always wanted to go to college. I met him when we were probably the age of 11 or 12. He was already talking about the University of Miami. And he told me that he was going to go to UM, and he was going to play football. He loved the University of Miami.

We both loved the University of Miami. We watched football together. Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!

Yeah! Miami in the 90s, this is the time of hurricanes football. They had a legacy ongoing since the 80s of being just one of the top programs in the nation. In Miami, football was like the bullet we know we had, the aim at this to get us out of here. He was determined to get out the hood, man. And when I see now, I have so much respect for him.

I had to actually end up working a second full-time job to save the money because I did not want to stay in government housing with my children. I wanted better for them and they deserved better. I gave it my all. Marlin was probably 17 when we bought our house and we moved to Miami Gardens. You know the neighborhoods that we came from, they were dangerous neighborhoods. But we survived them. We came through them and my kids, they thrived. Towards the ending of high school,

he never went on any other school visits, just the University of Miami, so he was just that confident. When he started taking the exams, the ACT's, he actually took that exam maybe about seven or eight times. He couldn't get the scores that he needed to get into the University of Miami. And so one of his coaches from North Miami Senior High

suggested that he go to a military school so that he can learn to study and get his grades up. And Marlon went to Hargrave Military Academy, which is in Chatham, Virginia. Marlon was military-minded, man. That didn't faze him. That just added to his arsenal. He got his grades. He got the score when he took the exam.

Because of his athletic ability, he was offered the scholarship to play at the University of Miami. Marlon was the first child in our family, period, to go to college. You know, everybody was proud. And he was the happiest kid on earth. Marlon grew up with Earl Little. They met I think when they were like maybe in second grade and they were best friends. They were like inseparable. The plan was that Earl and Marlon were going to go to University of Miami together.

That was like a dream come true when Earl and Marlon went to UM and I came at the same time. UM used to be referred to as Suntan U. We're the Hurricanes, but we just call ourselves the Canes for short. UM is always in the public eye because of the money and the lifestyle and the year-round summer. Especially now with social media and TikTok stars like Alex Earl. We do this for the U. It's very, very specific that you have to go like this. You are going to see every single cane at a football game.

And a lot of times, these once underprivileged kids will find themselves becoming public figures and almost superstars to a degree at UM. UM actually plays at the Hard Rock Stadium, which is very much well known for being the home of the Miami Dolphins and NFL team. It is a tradition to schlep up over to the Hard Rock Stadium and everybody is decked out in cane gear, in orange and green. Ice cold, you know the stuff they fanning in my veins. I spit it high, live it, they put me in the cage. They steal the brick and mortar, couldn't capture the rape.

Marlon Barnes, he was a very well-known linebacker. And that stop made by Marlon Barnes. Marlon met Ray Lewis when he came to play at the University of Miami. In his third year, Marlon, Earl, Ray Lewis, and another young man lived in one of the housing complexes on the UM campus. Marlon was working towards getting his liberal arts and science degree. I would go over to the University of Miami to watch him practice. And then after practice, we would, you know, spend a little time together and talk.

I'm going to be a good mother. I'm going to be a good mother. I'm going to be a good mother. I'm going to be a good mother. I'm going to be a good mother. I'm going to be a good mother. I'm going to be a good mother. I'm going to be a good mother. I'm going to be a good mother.

I'm going to be a good mother. I'm going to be a good mother. I'm going to be a good mother. I'm going to be a good mother. I'm going to be a good mother. me about Marlon. And I told her, I said, well, Marlon's at school. And then the next phone call that I got was from Nate Brooks' mother. She asked me where Marlon was, and I said, Marlon's at school. And it was like she wanted to tell me something, but she didn't. And I started, you know, having these weird feelings. And I started paging him, and I just kept paging him and he never called me.

Saturday morning students at this on-campus apartment building awoke to find the area cordoned off. The Metro Day Police Department is investigating a double homicide that occurred here today. At this hour, there are more questions than answers. Basically what we want to know is how somebody can come up on a campus like this with security and get murdered like that. The folks in the area want that. casino games at your fingertips with the same Vegas strip excitement MGM is famous for when you play classics like MGM Grand Millions or popular games like Blackjack, Baccarat, and Roulette.

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BetMGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario. The morning of April 13th in 1996, the police and Carl Gabels received a call from one of the University of Miami students by the name of Earl Little. Earl Little lived with, and it's about 7.30 in the morning. But he cannot get in. There's something blocking the door. When he finally gets in, he sees what's blocking the door, and it's Marlin. He has been brutally beaten. He's almost unrecognizable.

Police officers arrive on the scene around 730 to 735. So one of the officers goes through the apartment clearing the rooms, and in one of the bedrooms, he comes across a second victim. A woman. and in one of the bedrooms, he comes across a second victim. A woman. She is partially underneath the bed as if she had been drug out from underneath it before being attacked. Just like Marlon, she had been brutally beaten.

Marlon is declared dead at the scene. When fire and rescue go into the room where the female is, she's still breathing. They call air rescue to take her to the closest hospital. They were able to identify her, however, at that time as Timonega Lumpkins. In Miami-Dade County, the Miami-Dade Police Department homicide unit handles all homicides. Sergeant Tom Romani was on call, and he took it from there. When you went inside, it was clear that this has been a brutal, brutal homicide.

brutal, brutal homicide. The blood had spattered up to the ceiling, to the walls. There's wood splinters that appear to come from something that whoever it was hit Marlon over the head with. And also there was an unshot shotgun shell that was on the ground near the body. In Marlon's pocket, they found cash, and he still had on his chain around his neck. It appeared to the police, based on their experience, this was not a robbery.

Somebody meant to kill the person. Earl Little was questioned questioned and he tells them that he had lent Marlon the car, his truck the night before, there was some party in Miami Beach, and he was coming to get his keys, and when he walked through the parking lot, he saw his truck, which was sort of leaning on its side. Outside, they searched Earl's car where they found puncture marks in the tires as if they

had deliberately been slashed. Once we got over to the UM campus, I saw Marlin's linebacker coach, Randy Shannon, and I asked him if it was true what I heard. And he said yes, and then I just lost it. I was just baffled. I was sitting there thinking who would want to hurt him because he was not that kind of person where, where, you know, he would make someone want to hurt him, let alone take his life. I heard it from my mother. To be honest, I didn't even hear what my mother said

when I asked her how. I remember hanging up the phone and I was just, and I remember later asking what happened, and she said, Thad, I told you already. Brace yourself, you made it. Off in the hood, what meant is get faded. Cause I done been through it all, but I ain't fed up. It's best you start from the bottom, before you head up.

Hearing it, it was like, damn man, like he had done, you know, survived a lot, you know what I'm saying, to get to UM. For that to happen to them on campus, it was like, like damn, that can't be true. Coming from the projects, it's like a blessing and a curse. We know a lot of people are going to die, a lot of people are going to go to prison, and some of us are going to make it. But when Marlon got murdered, everything just was... up.

UM is a virtually pretty safe campus. The incident brought a lot of panic to students. A packed room at the Student Union tonight filled with shaken students and their concerns. A terrible crime has happened on this campus, and we can't deny that. Everybody's scared. Nobody knows how it happened, why it happened. There was a lot of heartache and a lot of confusion as to why something this violent would happen to people. The case was like all over the place. I mean, TV, radio. They were talking about the case. The woman found bludgeoned inside this campus apartment died on her way to Jackson Memorial Hospital.

Her name is Timwanika Lumpkins. Timwanika Lumpkins, she was a longtime friend of Marlin's. She was not somebody who went to school at UM. They had known each other when they were kids. They were good friends in high school. They played basketball a lot together and they continued that friendship through till the 1990s.

Timonika attended North Miami Senior High School where Marlin went. They were friends. Once I came home from work and Timonika was there with him, but she was pregnant. And when I saw her, I thought that she was pregnant from Marlon. And I kind of panicked. At that time, we called her T for short. And I asked him, is T your girlfriend?

And he said, no. He said he didn't have a girlfriend. And it was not his baby. She was beautiful. She was smart, intelligent. At the time of her death, she was a single mother. She had a daughter. Police notified her grandmother this afternoon.

They say that you're the wrong person. I say, that's not a little bit. I hope they find who did this, and I hope they do. I hope justice prevails. Investigators really needed to piece together what happened that night and which one of them was being targeted. The first thing that was suggested was that they call all of the players and bring them in and explain what had happened and see if they knew anything. Through meeting with Marlin's teammates, they found out that on the night of Friday, April 12th, 1996,

Marlin was invited to attend a VIP party at Salvation Club being hosted by a Dolphins football player. He invited Timonika Lumpkins to join him. They went to the club alone driving Earl Little's car that Marlin had asked to borrow. Also at the party, they linked up with Shubaka, who was a teammate of Marlin's, and then they all left together. But when they got outside, they found that the tires of Earl's car had been slashed.

Shubaka got a ride home with a friend, and Marlon and Timonika waited for a tow truck to come and pick them up. One of the things that came up when talking to the team was that Timonika had been the girlfriend of somebody by the name of LeBron Dennis. LeBron and Timonika had actually been living together up until about a week prior to the crime taking place.

That gave a direction to this case. So, Detective Armani was at the school, and then somebody told him that LeBron Dennis, whose name had come up when they met with the football players, had showed up at his office. Casino games at your fingertips with the same Vegas strip excitement MGM is famous for when you play classics like MGM Grand Millions or popular games like Blackjack, Baccarat, and Roulette. With our ever-growing library of digital slot games, a large selection of online table games, and signature Bet MGM service, there's no better way to bring the

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If you have questions or concerns about your gambling or someone close to you, please contact Connects Ontario at 1-866-531-2600 to speak to an advisor free of charge. BetMGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario. The fact that LeBron Dennis showed up on his own accord to be interviewed by police was very interesting. It's something that you typically don't see.

Detective Bramani had a court reporter come in and he took a statement from Lebron Dennis asking him, did he know anything about the deaths of these two people? He basically said, I didn't have anything to do with it. I lived with her, I loved her, we have a baby together. Lebron told investigators that LeBron and Timonika had been on and off for five years, but they had a three-year-old daughter together. That a week prior to the crime taking place, Timonika had moved out because she had come

home late after what he believed was hanging out with Marlon Barnes. And a fight broke out, so she moved out, taking her daughter to her grandmother's house. LeBron was extremely cooperative with the investigators and willing to get still photos of his arms and his face to prove that he had no injuries. He was even willing to give them any information that they needed in regards to his car

and where he was that night. He said that first he went to a bachelor party at like 11.30 at night. Later on, he went down to the same party where Marlon and Temehneka were. He doesn't see them there. He stays there a while, and then he comes home and goes to sleep.

I actually worked with LeBrent Dennis at Darrell Golf Resort and Spa. Shared an interest as far as UN football, and sometimes we would sit at the same table in the cafeteria. I knew that LeBrent and Temunica were a couple, and I knew that Marlon and Temunica were friends. But I never thought of it being any issues between any of them whatsoever. LeBron was a person of interest because of the relationship that he had with Tim Winnicka, and they shared a daughter. But he was very open with investigators, and he was able to have his alibi confirmed by

not only his friends, but his roommate. So Detective Romani really had no legal basis to keep him based on what he knew. It became important to go around the area at Club Salvation and see if there were anybody working that may have seen any of them there at that time. After canvassing the surrounding area, investigators met with a gas station attendant at an AMCO that was just blocks away from Club Salvation.

In the early morning hours of April 13th, the gas station attendant saw a gray Nissan in the parking lot of her gas station with a man inside of it. He was just sitting in the car for hours. He was covering his face so you couldn't see his face. She did notice there was no tag on the back of the car. And she told him he had to leave.

He did not leave, so she called the police. And they showed up, and he took off. And then the police left, and he came back again. At some point, he started walking away, and she saw him go towards the Ford Explorer. When Marlon and Timuanica got into the tow truck, and they loaded the car, she noticed that the guy in the gray Nissan,

at the same time time left the area. According to the tow truck driver, he dropped them off at Marlin's apartment between 530 and 630 a.m. It became clear that the cars were an issue in this case and maybe would lead us to who was the person who had killed Marlon and Timonica. There were no defined suspects. However, the only person that kept coming up was Lebron Dennis. The gas station attendant in this case was a very helpful witness. The detective showed her a picture of LeBron Dennis' car, and she said, no, that's not the car that was there.

This Grey Nissan was something that was important to the case, but this was going to prove to be a very challenging lead to see through. There was a lot of media coverage surrounding the deaths of Marlon and Temunica. We have suffered an unspeakable tragedy on this campus. Enormous sadness for this university family. They all showed up eager to take their first look at the UN campus. But what these visiting freshmen, parents, and transfers didn't bargain for was a visit to a campus where just yesterday two people were beaten to death. Next year I'm moving into the apartment area

and my mother's really concerned about whether something like this can happen to me. Word had gotten around very quickly, and I just couldn't talk to anybody. I just couldn't deal at that point. I just couldn't talk to anybody. I just, I couldn't deal at that point. When the detectives came to my home, they wanted to know like if Marlon had any enemies,

if he had gotten to any fights or arguments, did I know of? And the answer was no. There was nothing I could tell them because Marlon was, he was a great kid. Marlon was a positive guy in the community. He ain't stand for the violence. He wasn't for violence. I couldn't think of anyone that would have wanted to bring him any harm whatsoever. Investigators did as much legwork as they possibly could when it came to finding their suspect and this grainy son.

A friend of Marlin's from Scott's Project explained to investigators something that they had not heard before. And it was the fact that Marlin was involved in the Right Track Foundation. The purpose of the Right Track was to inspire children from low-income areas, such as Scott's Project, where Marlon grew up, to leave the gangs behind and not break down in fear giving into these gangs that were recruiting them.

When Marlon and Earl and these kids, when they were in college, they came back to the community and they got these kids that, you know, they took under their wings to take them off the streets, to, you know, keep them from getting in trouble and stuff like that. The Right Track program had thousands of kids. They was joining them from Lincoln Field to other projects. It was real popular.

... Investigators started questioning if this could have possibly pissed a lot of the gangs in the area off because this was their recruiting grounds. Was anyone angry about the fact that Marlon was there? Many of the gangs in the area actually had it as an initiation protocol that you would have to beat someone into a closed casket funeral.

I told Miss Charley Mae how the gangs think, you know, one of the superior moths will be a closed casket. Whoever had done this was willing to get up close and personal with their victims and brutally attack them at a very close range. So investigators had to find a way to prove if this motive was true. Was there a gang member that had targeted Marlon and wanted him gone. Marlon Barnes was a linebacker for the University of Miami beaten to death a week ago. He was only 22. The death of Marlon Barnes really rocked this program.

Everything changed. We didn't know as a team what was going to happen. For every other guy we've seen drafted today, it really is a joyous day. And it is for Ray Lewis, but he really has been robbed of the opportunity to enjoy that. Today at one o'clock Eastern time in North Miami, Ray attended the funeral of one of his former roommates, his close friend Marlon Barnes. Oh, freedom. Oh, freedom. In an outpouring of love, community members joined hands and came together to remember a son, a teammate and a friend.

Every time that I was down, he was always there to pick me up, my teammates, and everyone else that knew him. More than a thousand family members and friends turned out today to show what kind of impact Marlon Barnes made on his community. Someone who will also be missed by many is 22-year-old Timonica Lumpkins, who was with Barnes when she was beaten to death. And for those students who have lingering questions about the campus murders, a UM has set up a rumor control hotline.

For a few weeks, no one was arrested for their murders. And at that point, I'm still trying to figure out, why have I lost my kid? As the investigation continued, the police learned that somebody had set a gray Nissan on fire. That was the same description as the gas station attendant had given them. Investigators took a photograph of the car and took it back to the gas station attendant who confirmed that this was the car she saw

in the early morning hours of April 13th. saw in the early morning hours of April 13. It turned out that it's registered to Watiesha Wallace. Investigators were able to track down Watiesha Wallace, and they brought her in for an interview. to track down Watiesha Wallace, and they brought her in for an interview. So Watiesha Wallace, who's had her car burned, she turned out to be a girlfriend of LeBron Dennis. Police became aware that Watiesha

had burned the car on purpose. At this point, investigators had a positive ID on the car and the connection to Lebron with this car. And though they had somewhat of an alibi, it was confirmed by his roommate, which was actually his cousin, Caroline. But it was not enough to take to trial. They needed some sort of forensic evidence that could tie LeBron Dennis to Marlon Barnes' apartment. The police have a line that people can call in

if they want to report something about any sort of crime. 1-800-22703... There was a person who reported to the tip line that LeBron Dennis was responsible for the murders of Tim Wanaika and Marlon. And she said that we should be talking to Joseph Stewart. Joseph Stewart knew LeBron Dennis. Joseph worked with me the Doral Golf Resort and Spa. When they went to speak to Joseph Stewart, he said that he did not do anything to kill either one

of those people. But he did give LeBrent a shotgun that belonged to his mother. April 7th was when he gave it to LeBron. It wasn't until April 13th that Joseph heard from LeBron again. Joseph receives a call from LeBron telling him that he had returned the shotgun to his mother's house in the bushes outside of the home. When Joseph picks up the bag, it is much heavier than it was when he gave it to LeBron. He opens it up, and inside he finds a black hoodie, black sweatpants, black boots, a knife, and the shotgun that is now extremely damaged. Joseph tells LeBron that he wants nothing to do with whatever he has done. According to Joseph, LeBron responds saying,

don't worry, they would never think to come here. I just had to do what I had to do, and I didn't even drive my own car. strip excitement MGM is famous for when you play classics like MGM Grand Millions or popular games like Blackjack, Baccarat, and Roulette. With our ever-growing library of digital slot games, a large selection of online table games, and signature Bet MGM service, there's no better way to bring the excitement and ambience of Las Vegas home to you than with Bet MGM Casino. Download the Bet MGM Casino app today. BetMGM and GameSense remind you to play responsibly. BetMGM.com for Ts and Cs. 19 plus to wager.

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BedMGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario. to speak to an advisor free of charge. BetMGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario. Investigators bring Joseph M. to be interviewed on April 29. In this interview with Joseph, investigators asked him where he had dumped the shotgun and the knife that he gave to LeBron. He was able to show them where he threw them down in the sewers.

So when the police got their divers to go down there, they found the gun and the duffel bag. That was huge in terms of moving forward with this investigation. There were large chunks of wood missing. The trigger guard was gone. One of the most important pieces of evidence they found was an unshot shotgun shell that was on the ground near the body.

They discovered large splinters of wood and another piece of metal lying nearby. In addition to this, there was what looked to arrest LeBron Dennis. The very next day, after recovering the murder weapon, investigators arrested LeBron Dennis for the murders of Timonika Lumpkins and Marlon Barnes. When Detective Romani called me and told me that it was Lebronte Dennis, I was surprised. I worked with this guy. I used to talk to him about my son. I just couldn't put it together.

It was hard. Through interviews with people that knew them, investigators were able to piece together a timeline of the weeks and days leading up to the murder. interviews with people that knew them, investigators were able to piece together a timeline of the weeks and days leading up to the murder. It started with Timonika. Came home late the day of Marlon's birthday. That was April 6th.

And LeBron got angry with her and lost his temper. And then she moved out. She wasn't gonna put up with his anger and how he treated her. And when she left, Marlon got all the boxes and stuff and was taking them to the grandmother, because the grandmother was taking care of the little one. Lebront believed that Timonika had gone to stay with Marlin. It's Marlin, Marlin, Marlin, and he's lost control of himself.

He went to salvation for that party. I think he waited for Marlon to come out. He just couldn't control himself. He slashed the tires. He followed the tow truck and he seized the car, seized the building they get into. So he brought that shotgun. He knew they were on the third floor. When LeBron got inside, when the shotgun did not work, he was so committed to ending both

Tim Winnicka and Marlon's lives that night that he brutally beat their faces in with the butt of the shotgun so badly that he broke it. For my son or my children to help other people in an abusive relationship, that was like, it was the norm for them to do that because that's how they grew up. When I was told that he moved her to get her out of the abusive relationship, I was not surprised because I had done the same thing for someone years before. In the media coverage, it was portrayed as though Marlon and Temonica were a couple behind Lebrance's back.

They were friends and he was lending a helping hand to someone that asked him for help. He did exactly what I would have done. And with that being said, he lost his life for it. On May 8th, Lebronte Dennis was indicted for two counts of first-degree murder, one count of burglary, assault and battery while armed, and criminal mischief. The district attorney determined that the murder of Marlon Barnes and Timonika Lumpkins was absolutely premeditated. Lebron Dennis contacted Joseph about retrieving a gun on April 7th, which was days prior to

the murder taking place. That was a very, very painful time for my family and me. When I did meet with Charlie, she was very, very upset. I told her, you know, we were going to have the best lawyers, the best witnesses. But no matter what happens to him, Marlon is still gone. Lebrant Dennis took a lot from me. Not only did he take my son, but he took the life out of me for a very long time.

And Lebrant Dennis needs to pay for that. The trial started. I was there every single day. My family was there every day. One thing about Charlie, she doesn't miss a court date. The trial was hard. I didn't look at any of the pictures. I didn't want to see them. You know, I listened, you know, to the testimony that everybody gave. His defense was that Joseph could have been the one that committed the murders because it was his shotgun. I mean it was you know heart-wrenching to hear that.

I think the trial lasted five or six weeks and then the jurors went out to deliberate. On October 28, 1998, the jury came back with a vote of guilty on all charges. Because this was a homicide case where the state was seeking the death penalty, there was a second phase called a penalty phase. And the jury recommended the death penalty in 11 to 1 vote. Judgment, judgment, judgment, judgment, judgment, judgment, judgment, judgment day is rolling around. He jumped up, he was furious, he was screaming. The corrections officers grabbed him. The verdict and the sentencing was justified.

He got exactly what he deserved. Judgment, judgment, judgment, judgment, how I long to go. The Supreme Court overturned the sentencing in all death penalty cases, where the outcome is not 12-0. I felt like, okay, we're being murdered again. Lebrant chose to kill my kid. He nearly killed my family, but we survived it. We're going back to court to have the death penalty reinstated.

That's what we're fighting for now. I don't want people to just dwell on the way my son passed because I do enough of that for everybody. I try to remember the person that he was, the happy person that he was. Each time that these guys even consider giving up, you know, they have to think about Marlon Barnes. The guy was just voted most improved football player on our team a couple weeks before he was murdered.

Marlon was like a firecracker. And no room that time. That stop made by Marlin Barnes. He's a hard worker and that's what we've been doing, working hard, and it's for him. Put something down in history that says this was dedicated to Marlon Barnes. A new star's at large straight from God. I know times are hard but only you can save you. So what you gonna do with the life God gave you? He wanted to go to the NFL. I'm sure he would have went.

First round pick, New York Jack select. Marlon Barnes. You know what I'm sure he would have went. First round pick, New York Jack select. Marlon Barnes. You know what I'm saying? Everybody would be like, yeah, boy, boy! You know what I'm saying? The world never get to see Marlon. What I would like to say to the parents out there, teach your kids the right way.

I don't regret the fact that, you know, I taught my kids to care about other people. And it may have cost Marlon his life, but that was a choice that his killer made. been when I wanted all the double Dutch break down beats from things digger and now you doubled you can feel the rhymes rhymes like I feel a bubble but it's flow thunderous flipped out tortuous This is Deborah Roberts. Come back next week to hear the story of a first-year student at Louisiana State University, who's search for friendship and brotherhood at his new school ultimately cost him his life. Death in the Dorms was produced by ABC News Studios with the Intellectual Property Corporation and, yes, Like a River for Hulu Originals. You can find the entire series streaming on Hulu. And of course tune in to ABC on Friday nights at 9 for all new broadcast episodes of 2020. Thanks for listening.