For Barnette, it’s personal

By Cindy Landrum  

MARCH 3, 2011 9:49 p.m. (0)

View slideshow to see photos of Barnette's swearing in ceremony

Barry Barnette started working for the Solicitor’s Office because he thought it would provide a great learning experience and help him become a better attorney.

But April 3, 1993, changed that.

That’s the day Barnette’s brother was shot to death in West Virginia.

“I’ll never forget that phone call from home,” he said.

And he’ll never forget the mistakes he said were made by those investigating the case. The crime scene was not secured. An investigation was not done. No justice was delivered to Barnette’s family.

“It made me realize how important our job is,” said Barnette, who was confirmed recently as 7th Circuit Solicitor, filling the unexpired term of former Solicitor and current U.S. Sen. Trey Gowdy. “In my opinion, my brother’s case was mishandled. I never want another family to have to go through what my family went through. My mother, to this day, it still haunts her.”

That is why Barnette gets involved in criminal cases from the beginning, sometimes with phone calls from police officers in the middle of the night to ensure critical evidence is gathered, nothing is overlooked.

He’s helped police get search warrants. He’s looked up laws to make sure suspects are charged with the right crimes. He’s reminded investigators to look for receipts that may lead to other evidence in the case.

“It’s crucial that we work together. The first 48 hours after a crime is committed is when most of the evidence is developed,” Barnette said. “That’s the reason I work so closely with law enforcement.”

He visits the crime scene.

And whenever he takes a case to trial, he remembers his brother.

“It helps give me the passion that needs to be brought to it,” Barnette said. “You represent the family.”

And many times, like Barnette’s family, it’s their first exposure to the criminal justice system.

“They feel helpless,” he said. “We try to help them as much as we can. It’s the mothers that bother me the most.”

Barnette said the most important aspect of his job is to try to bring justice to all the cases in the 7th Circuit.

“Justice is a tough term,” he said.

In some cases, it means giving a defendant a second chance if there’s the possibility the person can be rehabilitated. In other cases, like violent offenders or career criminals, Barnette said justice comes by putting them behind bars for as long as possible.

“Repeat offenders don’t need a break,” he said. “They’ve already had their second chance.”

The victim’s wishes play a big factor in how Barnette decides to proceed in a case.

“It’s their case, too,” he said.

He reminds victim’s families that while a conviction may give them closure, the hole remains.

“That never goes away,” he said.

One thing Barnette has noticed in the hundreds of cases he’s tried is that the defendants are getting younger and younger.

That’s why Barnette makes a point to go into area high schools and teach a class about how forensic science is used by law enforcement and in the criminal justice system.

“Defendants are getting younger and younger and it’s not just petty stuff,” he said. “It’s home invasions and violent offenses. We need to try to get through to them. If it can keep one child from going down that path, it’s worth it.”

Many teenagers do not realize they can be treated as adult in the court system if they are 16.

“They need to know the decisions and judgments they make now can affect them for a long time,” he said. “If they are drinking and they have a wreck in which somebody is killed, they’re facing up to 25 years. A lot of them don’t realize that.”

So while he talks about fingerprints and DNA, he sprinkles in some lecture.

When he is in the classroom, Barnette, who comes from a long line of teachers, relies on the two years he taught chemistry and physical science at Travelers Rest High.

“In the classroom, you’re trying to educate your students. In the courtroom, you’re educating the jury about your case,” he said. “To be a good teacher, you’ve got to make sure your students know the subject. You try to keep it as simple as you can. I think I’ve been successful in both professions doing that.”

Barnette won the Ernest F. Hollings Award for Excellence in Prosecution in 2006, the South Carolina Department of Public Safety’s Prosecutor of the Year Award in 2007 and the South Carolina Victim Assistance Network’s Criminal Justice Award in 2010.

He worked as an assistant solicitor in Spartanburg County from 1991 until he was appointed a magistrate judge in 1996. He rejoined the solicitor’s office in 2001 when he was named principal deputy solicitor and served as the office’s chief violent crime prosecutor.

Comments

Add New

Leave a Comment
Comments are moderated and may not be posted immediately.
Name:
Email:	do not notifynotify
Title:
	Please input the anti-spam code that you can read in the image.

3.26 Copyright (C) 2008 Compojoom.com / Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."