November 10, 2022
(McKINNEY, Texas) – Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis announced that Adam Steven Barney, 17, of McKinney, was sentenced to life in prison for Murder and fined $10,000. “The victim in this case was brutally murdered by her own son, who she spent his entire life trying to help overcome his dark characteristics. But in the end, the evil in Adam Barney could not be helped. Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Barney family as they continue to grieve the loss of their beautiful wife and mother,” said Willis after sentencing.
On Jan. 3, 2021, Officers from the McKinney Police Department were called to the Barney family home after the father told 911 dispatch that his son had killed his wife. When officers arrived, the father showed responding officers the footage caught by the security cameras installed throughout the home. The video showed that Adam Barney attacked his mother from behind while she was seated on the living room couch, struck her in the head eleven times with a hammer, then strangled her until she stopped breathing. When Barney’s father came out of his bedroom unaware of what had just occurred, Barney attacked him with a screwdriver, then fled out the front door. Barney absconded for over seven hours, until officers found him walking down the street the next morning.
McKinney Police Department Detective Steven Robinson testified as the lead investigator on the case, Officer Mark Brydges testified as the first officer on scene, and Forensic Investigator Joy Wright testified about the crime scene.
At trial, the State presented additional evidence of Barney’s long history of violence, manipulation, and unprovoked aggression towards others. A journal entry from his mother revealed that Barney had made statements expressing a desire to murder his family from as young as seven years old. Dr. Kristi Compton, a forensic psychologist, testified that the defendant had traits of a psychopath.
Barney pleaded guilty and a jury assessed punishment at life in prison with the possibility of parole and a $10,000 fine. Judge Andrea Thompson presided over the trial.
Assistant Criminal District Attorneys Christina Skipper, Kailey Gillman and John Rolater prosecuted the case, aided by District Attorney Investigators Laurie Gibbs and Stephanie Strickland, and Victim Assistance Coordinator Ruth Ruiz.
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