Rocky Barton
Encyclopedia
Rocky Barton was executed by the State of Ohio
on July 12, 2006 for the murder of his wife, 43-year-old Kimbirli Jo Barton, at their home in Waynesville, Ohio
. Convicted on October 10, 2003, Barton spent 2 years, 9 months, 3 days on death row.
Kimbirli and Barton had gotten in a domestic dispute the morning of January 16, 2003, and she was returning home to gather her belongings in order to move out, when Barton ambushed her by making sure the gate to the driveway was locked behind her. Barton then appeared and shot Kimbirli once in the shoulder and then again in the back with a shotgun
. Barton's uncle and 17-year-old daughter witnessed the shooting. At trial, Barton admitted to the murder
and told the jury that he deserved to die.
Rocky Barton also attempted to take his own life, but only succeeded in blowing off the lower half of his face. The State paid for his facial surgeries, which left him unrecognizable and required wearing a partial mask on his face. While awaiting trial, Rocky Barton was held in the Warren County Jail in Lebanon, Ohio. Due to the mask, he was referred to as "Darth Vader." At one time in particular, Rocky Barton and Kimberli's ex-husband were both incarcerated at the warren County Jail at the same time. For obvious reasons, the two were never allowed to be held in the same pod.
Two months after his sentence, Barton filed his notice of direct appeal to the Ohio Supreme Court, but on October 4, 2004, Barton filed a pro se motion to withdraw appeal and waive counsel. The Ohio Supreme Court held oral argument
in September 2005 and in October 2005 Barton filed another pro se motion to waive all review of his conviction.
He also opted not to apply for executive clemency.
Barton had worked as construction laborer and horse trainer. He had also served time in prison before the incident that led to his execution. He admitted his parents' divorce, drug and alcohol use, as well as some problems with depression and anxiety, had influenced his life.
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
on July 12, 2006 for the murder of his wife, 43-year-old Kimbirli Jo Barton, at their home in Waynesville, Ohio
Waynesville, Ohio
Waynesville is a village in Wayne Township, Warren County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 2,558, up from 1,949 in 1990. It is named for General "Mad" Anthony Wayne. The village, located at the crossroads of U.S. Route 42 and State Route 73, is known for its...
. Convicted on October 10, 2003, Barton spent 2 years, 9 months, 3 days on death row.
Kimbirli and Barton had gotten in a domestic dispute the morning of January 16, 2003, and she was returning home to gather her belongings in order to move out, when Barton ambushed her by making sure the gate to the driveway was locked behind her. Barton then appeared and shot Kimbirli once in the shoulder and then again in the back with a shotgun
Shotgun
A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...
. Barton's uncle and 17-year-old daughter witnessed the shooting. At trial, Barton admitted to the murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
and told the jury that he deserved to die.
Rocky Barton also attempted to take his own life, but only succeeded in blowing off the lower half of his face. The State paid for his facial surgeries, which left him unrecognizable and required wearing a partial mask on his face. While awaiting trial, Rocky Barton was held in the Warren County Jail in Lebanon, Ohio. Due to the mask, he was referred to as "Darth Vader." At one time in particular, Rocky Barton and Kimberli's ex-husband were both incarcerated at the warren County Jail at the same time. For obvious reasons, the two were never allowed to be held in the same pod.
Two months after his sentence, Barton filed his notice of direct appeal to the Ohio Supreme Court, but on October 4, 2004, Barton filed a pro se motion to withdraw appeal and waive counsel. The Ohio Supreme Court held oral argument
Oral argument
Oral arguments are spoken presentations to a judge or appellate court by a lawyer of the legal reasons why they should prevail. Oral argument at the appellate level accompanies written briefs, which also advance the argument of each party in the legal dispute...
in September 2005 and in October 2005 Barton filed another pro se motion to waive all review of his conviction.
He also opted not to apply for executive clemency.
Barton had worked as construction laborer and horse trainer. He had also served time in prison before the incident that led to his execution. He admitted his parents' divorce, drug and alcohol use, as well as some problems with depression and anxiety, had influenced his life.
Source
See also
- Capital punishment in the United StatesCapital punishment in the United StatesCapital punishment in the United States, in practice, applies only for aggravated murder and more rarely for felony murder. Capital punishment was a penalty at common law, for many felonies, and was enforced in all of the American colonies prior to the Declaration of Independence...
- List of individuals executed in Ohio