Rowland Barnes
Encyclopedia
Rowland W. Barnes was a Fulton County
, Georgia
, United States
, Superior Court Judge. He was shot to death in his courtroom.
Barnes oversaw the 2003 trial of hockey
star Dany Heatley
, who was charged with vehicular homicide
after the death of teammate Dan Snyder
in a car accident
.
in Annville
, Pennsylvania
, from which he graduated in 1962. He later studied business and then law at The George Washington University
and then graduated from Emory University
School of Law
in Atlanta, Georgia
, in 1972, and at the time of his death still held the title of adjunct professor at Emory. Barnes had served as a city judge and as a magistrate before his appointment by Governor Zell Miller
to Fulton Superior Court in 1998.
by Brian Nichols
who was convicted for the crime and sentenced to life imprisonment. Nichols attacked a sheriff's deputy and was able to access her gun. He went to the courtroom and shot Judge Barnes and his court reporter. Nichols was taken into custody at an apartment complex in Duluth
, Georgia, the next day.
Fulton County, Georgia
Fulton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. Its county seat is Atlanta, the state capital since 1868 and the principal county of the Atlanta metropolitan area...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Superior Court Judge. He was shot to death in his courtroom.
Barnes oversaw the 2003 trial of hockey
Hockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
star Dany Heatley
Dany Heatley
Daniel James Heatley is a Canadian professional ice hockey winger, and alternate captain for the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League . Originally drafted by the Atlanta Thrashers second overall in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, he won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the top NHL rookie in 2002...
, who was charged with vehicular homicide
Vehicular homicide
Vehicular homicide in most states in the United States, is a crime. In general, it involves death that results from the negligent operation of a vehicle, or more so a result from driving while committing an unlawful act that does not amount to a felony...
after the death of teammate Dan Snyder
Dan Snyder
Daniel Snyder was a professional Canadian ice hockey player. He played as a centre in the National Hockey League for the Atlanta Thrashers...
in a car accident
Car accident
A traffic collision, also known as a traffic accident, motor vehicle collision, motor vehicle accident, car accident, automobile accident, Road Traffic Collision or car crash, occurs when a vehicle collides with another vehicle, pedestrian, animal, road debris, or other stationary obstruction,...
.
Education and employment
Barnes began his academic career at Lebanon Valley CollegeLebanon Valley College
Lebanon Valley College is a small, liberal arts higher education institution situated in the heart of Annville in Lebanon County, east of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.-History:...
in Annville
Annville, Pennsylvania
Annville Township is a township and census-designated place in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 4,518 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Annville Township is located at ....
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, from which he graduated in 1962. He later studied business and then law at The George Washington University
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
and then graduated from Emory University
Emory University
Emory University is a private research university in metropolitan Atlanta, located in the Druid Hills section of unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The university was founded as Emory College in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia by a small group of Methodists and was named in honor of...
School of Law
Emory University School of Law
Emory University School of Law is a first-tier US law school that is part of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. It is ranked #30 among ABA-approved law schools by the 2012 U.S. News & World Report...
in Atlanta, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, in 1972, and at the time of his death still held the title of adjunct professor at Emory. Barnes had served as a city judge and as a magistrate before his appointment by Governor Zell Miller
Zell Miller
Zell Bryan Miller is an American politician from the US state of Georgia. A Democrat, Miller served as Lieutenant Governor from 1975 to 1991, 79th Governor of Georgia from 1991 to 1999, and as United States Senator from 2000 to 2005....
to Fulton Superior Court in 1998.
Death
Barnes was shot and killed on March 11, 2005, in his courtroomCourtroom
A courtroom is the actual enclosed space in which a judge regularly holds court.The schedule of official court proceedings is called a docket; the term is also synonymous with a court's caseload as a whole.-Courtroom design:-United States:...
by Brian Nichols
Brian Nichols
Brian Gene Nichols is known for his escape and killing spree in the Fulton County courthouse in Atlanta, Georgia on March 11, 2005. Nichols was on trial for rape when he escaped from custody and murdered the judge presiding over his trial, a court reporter, a Sheriff's Deputy and later a Federal...
who was convicted for the crime and sentenced to life imprisonment. Nichols attacked a sheriff's deputy and was able to access her gun. He went to the courtroom and shot Judge Barnes and his court reporter. Nichols was taken into custody at an apartment complex in Duluth
Duluth, Georgia
Duluth is a city in Gwinnett County, Georgia and an increasingly more affluent and developed suburb of Atlanta. Unincorporated portions of Forsyth County also have Duluth as a mailing address, though this area is outside city limits...
, Georgia, the next day.