NASHVILLE, Tenn., June 6, 2008
Man Indicted In 1975 Girl Scout Murder
Nashville's Most Famous Unsolved Murder: Marcia Trimble, 9, Disappeared 33 Years Ago While Selling Cookies
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Photo
This undated photo supplied by the Nashville Police Department, shows Jerome Sidney Barrett, 61, who was indicted by a grand jury on charges of first-degree murder and felony murder in the 1975 strangling death of 9-year-old Girl Scout Marcia Trimble while she was delivering cookies. (AP Photo/Nashville Police Dept)
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1975 Murder Case Revived
"CBS NEWS RAW": The Nashville D.A. announced Friday that a suspect had been indicted in a 32-year old murder case. The victim was a 9-year-old Girl Scout, Marcia Trimble, who was delivering cookies
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Nashville District Attorney Torry Johnson said Jerome Sidney Barrett was indicted by a grand jury Tuesday on charges of first-degree murder and felony murder. The charges were made public Friday after Barrett, who is in jail on charges in another 1975 slaying, was informed of the indictment.
Marcia Trimble disappeared from her upscale neighborhood Feb. 25, 1975. Her body was found 33 days later sticking out from a plastic wading pool in a neighbor's garage, and authorities later said she had been strangled.
The case was Nashville's most notorious unsolved murder for 33 years.
Barrett is awaiting trial on another murder charge in the 1975 killing and rape of Vanderbilt University student Sarah Vannatta Des Prez on Feb. 2, 1975.
"He's eager for his day in court," said Kerry Haymaker, Barrett's attorney in the Des Prez case. "He pleaded not guilty in the other case, and he'll be pleading not guilty in this case, I'm sure."
Barrett, 61, was living in Memphis when he was arrested late last year, according to court records.
Marcia Trimble's mother, Virginia Trimble, responded to the announcement in a written statement.
"I praise God for the never-yielding investigation work of the Metro Police Department as they, joined with the District Attorney's Office, may finally bring justice for Marcia and solve her murder that has haunted us all for 33 years," she wrote.
Barrett's case is not eligible for the death penalty because the death penalty statute on the books at the time was later declared unconstitutional, said Deputy District Attorney General Tom Thurman.
Thurman said "scientific evidence" linked Barrett to the murder, but declined to elaborate. Police announced in 2002 that DNA from a semen sample taken from the girl's body had ruled out several suspects in her murder.
Thurman said he couldn't comment on whether the girl was sexually assaulted. He said the felony murder charge, which indicates she was killed during the commission of another crime, came because investigators believe "something of value" was taken from the girl.
Nashville Police Nashville Police Chief Ronal Serpas praised his department's cold case unit for cracking the case.
"None of us can begin to imagine the horrible tragedy this has been to the Trimble family and our community," he said.
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Let''s hope justice would be served swiftly and pronto!
If he can''t get the death penalty, if convicted, he should be banned from seeing any friends or family for the rest of his life.
Just another taxpayer drain.
And I thought I had seen everything.
Posted by Sylvenger
EVen if he gets the death penalty or jail it wont matter, he''s SIXTY ONE, hes lived the last 33 years high on the hog free to enjoy himself, he doesn''t have many years left ANYWAY so it would be of little loss to him.
It is a statistic that blacks make up approximately 15% of the population , yet they commit 60% of the crimes. I think the problem lies within the fact that you have the ghetto situation in all major cities. The center of a city is always where the poorest live and the most crime, as you move out a few miles from the center you find that the percentage of people making better money live, a little farther out you find the affluent society. The poor in the iner city are too busy making a living to raise the young with a proper moral value. Yes some do try but with the gang situaion if you don''t join in a lot of cases you do not survive. The man has been charged but i still believe in innocent until proven guilty. I didn''t read in the story what race the girl scout was. It doesn''t matter. She had her life taken, That is the only thing that matters. I hope if he is the one that killed her he is found guilty.
A sentence is supposed to be about justice, not revenge. We as a society would like it to be revenge. However if i were on trial i would hope the jury would judge on the evidence not on the emotional feelings of th public. Like the O.J. Simpson trial. If i had been on the jury i would have voted innocent, even tho i believe he is guilty, simply becasue the prosecutor was the best defense he had. I believe she was bought to throw the trial. I also believe in karma and that what gos around comes around. Look at O.J. today, i think it is coming around.
Posted by FeelFreee4
So let me see if I understand this now.
You think there are no racists in this county? I personally know at least 5.
You don''t think poor people are oppressed, even though they are the weakest members of society and are routinely vilified and taken advantage of by the wealthy?
You think that living in a slum is equivalent to living in a mansion?
That the poor have exactly the same opportunity and benefits as the rich?
Yeah, the idiot buzzer just went off for you stupid dishonest racist buffoon.
to the 1975 murder of a 9-year-old Girl Scout - Marcia Trimble, but declined to elaborate.
Police announced in 2002 that DNA from a *** sample taken from the girl''s body had ruled out several suspects in her murder."
As far as I''m concerned, Mr. Jerome Sidney Barrett''s race, age, academic achievement, financial status... etc. are totally irrelevant.
So long as the "scientific evidence" can link him to the young girl''s death, then the law needs to impose the death penalty on him - period!
What about Wayne Williams of Atlanta ? Whatabout the fact that blacks make up 15% of the populatioon while whites make up about 70% ? I don''t care what color a pedophile is, i just want them all removed from society
"blacks make up approximately 15% of the population,, yet they commit 60% of the crimes."
My white son has a rap sheet 10 feet long, and yet he has never once been to prison because he is white, he lives in a white county in a white state, he has a white lawyer who makes deals with white prosecutors and white judges.
The guys in our county who have good jobs got them through friends or family. All of them.
This system keeps whites in good jobs, and leaves blacks out.
Blacks know this is happening. They see whites get these opportunities while they struggle to live on McDonald''s wages.
If I saw myself in their position in a racist hate-filled society such as ours, I might be inclined to commit a few "crimes". I doubt that much of that 60% of crime is anything more than simple, unsophisticated theft. The kind of theft that our police are most sensitive to, and the kind that fills our prisons. Not the type of crime that results in the massacre of many tens of thousands of innocents, not the sort of crime that results in $4 a gallon gas and a world full of hungry people who can no longer afford to eat. These crimes may only account for a small percentage of reported crime, but they account for 99% of all actual criminal loss to society.
Because it makes you look stupid.
Just saying.
I lived in San Antonio when katrina hit. They brought in 14,000 black refugees. I lived ion a nice neighborhood where it was safe. After the refugees came you could nopt walk outside your home in safety. Our murder rat went up 39 % rgw first year and that is while they were getting all the freebies. They burned down 3 apartment complexes, one manager at a hotel called the police and told them to come clear them out. When the police arrived they found weapons, drugs stolen vehicles and people with warrants for their arrest. I will not accept rsponsibility for what the blacks do. We had a ghetto ar4a in Kansas City. Tjhe city leveled it and built all new houses for section 8, two years later it was a ghetto again. If they don''t work for it they will not respect it. I think we have domne everything necessary to give the black community a hqand up. It is time they started helping themselves.
I forgot tyo m,ention, maybe you did everything you knew how toi straighten your son out and he still turned out bad. That doesn''t make you a bad parent. I think he had emotional problems and refused to confor to the laws of society.
However, I think there should never be TV or workout equipment or college and other luxuries funded by taxpayers in the jails and prisons. Just some books, hoops, basketballs, footballs and soccerballs for physical activity and nothing more.
Actually there are approximately 7 whites to every 1.5 blacks in the united states.
It''s not about RACE it''s about MENTAL ILLNESS!
Study this dude''s 1000 yard stare & remember it well.
Teach your kid''s to stay clear of anyone, white or black who own''s a stare like this.
MENTAL CASE!!!
It is becoming increasingly difficult daily to neogtiate all the crazies safely, with all the ZOMBIES strolling all about.
Either the US society is over medicated or undermedicated. I''m still unsure about that??
BECOME AWARE! REMAIN WATCHFUL!
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These two statements contradict each other. A nine year old with *** in her had to have been raped.
If a white guy shoplifts it''s an aberration and means nothing but if a black man is accused of murder blacks are more likely to be guilty of murder based simply on skin color.
I''m not sure where I''d need to look to find a better or more perfect example of overt racism then your comments on the thread.
If there are more blacks in prison or accused of crimes in this country it''s EXACTLY AND SPECIFICALLY because people like YOU assume and act as if they are guilty based simply on the pigmentation of their skin. Your argument is clearly irrational.
You''re the racist we''re talking about here. You are the only clearly guilty party so far identified.
i understand what you are saying. I lived in the same situation in Lousiana for 9 years. I was using national statistics i was taught by my law professor in college. To me it is not being racist to point out an existing condition which is causing crime. I lived in San Antonio when they briought in the refugees. Our crime rate went up in all categories the first year. It wasn''t safe to go outside after dark. We didn''t have that problem before Katrina, at least not in the area i lived in.
i understand what you are saying. I lived in the same situation in Lousiana for 9 years. I was using national statistics i was taught by my law professor in college. To me it is not being racist to point out an existing condition which is causing crime. I lived in San Antonio when they briought in the refugees. Our crime rate went up in all categories the first year. It wasn''t safe to go outside after dark. We didn''t have that problem before Katrina, at least not in the area i lived in.
Get over it already!
Did you stop and ask yourself if she was your daughter, would race matter enough to bring her back to life? Did it matter to those that lost their lives on 9/11 that the attackers were Arabs? No, that bit of info would''ve done very little to save the lives of thousands.
You see, your negative rhetoric holds no true power, only a deep rooted, self imposed, state of ignorance. Do not push your own "state of being" on americans of this new century after the bull *** all races and gender have endured over the last one.
How can you deal with a problem if you do not identify it first. I don''t care this man was black. It didn''t say what race the victim was and doesn''t matter.If this man had been white and found guilty of this crime i would want the same sentence for him.
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by simplemind2
June 9, 2008 12:33 PM PDT
- "Thurman said "scientific evidence" linked Barrett to the murder"
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Reply to this comment
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See all 39 Comments"incite"?
Incite what - more stupidity?
I sure hope not!
Put it this way, you lay down MLK''s picture right next to Barrett''s "MySpace" picture - do you see any resemblance?
Barrett ought to be ashamed of himself for being such a disgrace to MLK''s cause!