Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst 123 LastLast
Results 11 to 20 of 29

Thread: Hanna Barker Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison in 2018 LA Murder of Six-Month-Old Levi Cole Ellerbe

  1. #11
    Administrator Helen's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    Toronto, Ontario, Canada
    Posts
    20,875
    Mother of Levi Ellerbe, baby burned to death, indicted

    By Melissa Gregory
    Alexandria Town Talk

    Hanna Nicole Barker, the mother of 6-month-old Levi Cole Ellerbe, has been indicted on a first-degree murder charge in his burning death.

    The baby was found on July 17 in the remnants of a ditch fire off a Natchitoches street, critically burned, and early died the next day at a Shreveport hospital. He had suffered second- and third-degree burns over 90 percent of his body.

    The indictment was filed in the 10th Judicial District Court in Natchitoches Friday.

    Another woman, Felicia Marie-Nicole Smith, was indicted on the same charge on Aug. 30. According to testimony at a Sept. 21 preliminary examination hearing, Barker asked Smith to kill the child.

    The indictment against Smith alleges that the 26-year-old Natchitoches woman took the baby from Barker's travel trailer at the Mayberry Trailer Park in the 5600 block of the La. Highway 1 Bypass.

    Barker called 911 to report that Levi had been kidnapped, and that was followed soon by another 911 call from her landlord.

    Smith's indictment reads that she left the baby in a ditch about a mile from his home, poured gasoline on him and set him on fire. Then she went to her job at IHOP, it reads.

    But officials allege that the kidnapping claim was a ruse to hide a plot to kill the baby, who was just days from turning 7 months old.

    The indictment against Barker provides no information about her alleged actions. There's also a gag order in the case, so most of what is publicly known came from Smith's indictment and the September hearing.

    The only witness to testify was Lt. Jeremy Swisher, the Region 5 supervisor for the Louisiana State Fire Marshal's Office, which investigated the case with the Natchitoches Police Department.

    Swisher testified that the two women were involved in a sexual relationship, but said Smith was more invested in it. He said Barker told investigators during an interview that she was using Smith for attention and money.

    He said Barker met Smith at her job site earlier on the day Levi was taken. It was at that time that Barker asked Smith to kill her baby, Swisher testified.

    Although Smith at first refused, she agreed to do it, he said.

    Barker's defense attorney, Dru Thompson of Shreveport, has argued that prosecutors have no evidence to prove Barker asked Smith to kill the child. The only thing they have, he said, is Smith's statement.

    He cross-examined Swisher on that, asking him if it was true Smith vowed "to do something crazy" if Barker ended their relationship.

    Barker, who had been arrested in 2016 on drug-related charges, is facing a Dec. 3 probation revocation hearing.

    A hearing to determine the source of funds for Smith's public defender was continued and has not been rescheduled yet.

    https://www.theadvertiser.com/story/...ed/1946454002/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  2. #12
    Administrator Helen's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    Toronto, Ontario, Canada
    Posts
    20,875
    Court records sealed in cases of women charged in baby's burning death

    By Melissa Gregory
    The Town Talk

    All records in the cases of two Natchitoches Parish women accused in the 2018 burning death of an infant have been sealed from the public.

    Orders to seal the records in the cases against Hanna Barker, the 24-year-old mother of Levi Cole Ellerbe, and Felicia Marie-Nicole Smith were signed on Thursday afternoon.

    Gag orders already had been issued in July 2018 in both cases.

    Smith, 26, pleaded not guilty Thursday to a first-degree murder charge in the case, according to the Natchitoches Journal. Her trial was set for March 2020.

    But an online search of Natchitoches Parish Clerk of Court records on Friday for both Smith's and Barker's cases returned only previous drug cases against the two.

    David Stamey, the Natchitoches clerk of court, said he received the orders Thursday afternoon to seal records in both cases.

    The women were indicted on first-degree murder charges after their arrests in the case, which generated international headlines.

    On the night of July 17, Barker called 911 after she ran screaming from her travel trailer at the Mayberry Trailer Park off the La. Highway 1 Bypass. Her landlord heard the screaming and also called 911.

    Barker claimed that Levi, who was days from turning 7 months old, had been kidnapped after two men had knocked on her door and then sprayed her in the face with pepper spray. She told Natchitoches Police Department officers that she ran from the trailer, but returned to find Levi gone.

    Just more than an hour later, a woman driving to her Breda Avenue home, less than two miles from the trailer park, reported a fire on the opposite side of an elevated railroad track. Firefighters found Levi at the scene, suffering from second- and third-degree burns over 90 percent of his body.

    He was taken to a Shreveport hospital but died in the early hours of July 18.

    Smith was arrested on July 21. Barker was arrested on July 25 on charges of being a principle to first-degree murder.

    But both women were separately indicted on charges of first-degree murder — on Aug. 30 for Smith; Nov. 9 for Barker.

    Prosecutors alleged during a hearing late last year for Barker that the two women were involved in a sexual relationship and that Barker asked Smith to kill the child. Barker's attorney denied that, saying that Smith had sworn to do something crazy if their relationship ended.

    Barker's trial was set for Jan. 13, 2020 by 10th Judicial District Court Judge Desiree Dyess. A motions hearing also was set for Feb. 25.

    A similar hearing was set for Smith in April.

    https://www.thetowntalk.com/story/ne...th/2677905002/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  3. #13
    Administrator Helen's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    Toronto, Ontario, Canada
    Posts
    20,875
    Preliminary exam hearing granted for woman accused in baby's burning death

    By Melissa Gregory
    The Town Talk

    Felicia Marie Nicole Smith, one of two Natchitoches Parish women accused in the burning death of a 6-month-old boy, was granted a hearing to determine if there's enough evidence to proceed in her case after a judge cited the delay in appointing a public defender for her.

    Smith and Hanna Nicole Barker both face first-degree murder charges in the July 18 death of Levi Cole Ellerbe, who was Barker's son. The cases are being tried separately.

    Levi, only days from turning 7 months old, was found in a ditch fire late on July 17, less than two hours after Barker called 911 to report the child had been kidnapped from her trailer home off the La. Highway 1 Bypass in Natchitoches.

    But authorities allege that was a ruse to hide a plan she hatched to have Smith kill the boy, according to testimony in a preliminary examination hearing for Barker in September 2018. Testimony also revealed that the women had been in a relationship.

    Burned over more than 90 percent of his body, Levi died the next day at a Shreveport hospital. The case was investigated by the Natchitoches Police Department and Louisiana State Fire Marshal's Office.

    Having a preliminary examination hearing after an indictment is an unusual step, but 10th Judicial District Court Judge Desiree Dyess granted the defense motion Tuesday because Smith was not represented by an attorney from the time of her arrest on July 22, 2018, until after her indictment in August 2018.

    A preliminary examination hearing allows a judge to determine if there is enough evidence to prove a crime was committed by the defendant.

    A Natchitoches Parish grand jury indicted Baker in November 2018, two months after her preliminary examination hearing.

    Dyess, in making her decision regarding Smith, noted the state's "crisis" in funding for indigent defendants, especially in capital cases. She said Smith, 26, could have had a hearing before her indictment if an attorney had been appointed for her sooner.

    The judge also said she was looking beyond the case at the district level. Dyess said she did not want an appeals court to find the issue to be a violation of Smith's rights.

    The hearing was set for June 14, giving the Natchitoches Parish District Attorney's Office time to appeal her decision to the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal, if they should choose.

    Natchitoches Parish Assistant District Attorney Cliff Strider stated his opposition to a hearing for Smith. He said there were no allegations of impropriety and that the hearing would be a waste of the court's time and resources.

    He also claimed that, judging by the defense's witness list, such a hearing would be a fishing expedition.

    Smith’s public defender, Elliott Brown, denied that. He said Smith, unlike Barker, had no legal representation between her arrest and indictment. A hearing is important because her case is a capital case, said Brown.

    Dyess cautioned the attorneys that Smith's preliminary exam would not be used as a "mini-trial," saying guidelines would be established before the hearing.

    The only other matter during Tuesday's hearing was a motion to modify another motion signed by Dyess months ago that sealed both cases from the public and press.

    Strider said both the state and defense had agreed to the step because of "the sensitive nature" of the case. He said that original motion, which he wrote, was "overprotective."

    A gag order already exists in both cases.

    Both Strider and Brown agreed that the order should be modified to keep discovery, answers to discovery and exhibits under seal.

    https://www.thetowntalk.com/story/ne...th/3630063002/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  4. #14
    Administrator Helen's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    Toronto, Ontario, Canada
    Posts
    20,875
    State to decide by Aug. 1 on death penalty in Levi Ellerbe homicide case

    By Melissa Gregory
    Alexandria Town Talk

    NATCHITOCHES — The state will decide by Aug. 1 whether to seek the death penalty for Hanna Nicole Barker, the woman accused in the July 2018 burning death of her 6-month-old son, Levi Cole Ellerbe.

    Barker was in court Thursday for a hearing on 22 motions in the first-degree murder case, all but one filed by defense attorney Dru Thompson.

    Barker and another woman, Felicia Marie-Nicole Smith, are accused of staging Levi's kidnapping on the night of July 17, 2018, from the Natchitoches travel trailer where he lived with Barker.

    The indictment against Smith, who also faces a first-degree murder charge, alleges that she set Levi on fire in a ditch after dousing him with gasoline. The boy was found less than two hours later when a passerby reported the fire.

    Levi suffered second- and third-degree burns over 90 percent of his body. He died early the next day at a Shreveport hospital.

    Prosecutors contend that Barker and Smith were involved romantically and that Barker asked Smith to kill the baby, according to testimony from a previous hearing.

    Many of Thursday's motions concerned discovery issues. The motions were granted or continued, and Natchitoches Parish Assistant District Attorney Cliff Strider said evidence would be turned over to Thompson as it continues to be gathered.

    Thompson had asked for evidence regarding social media accounts like Facebook and Snapchat, as well as DNA evidence. Strider said the social media evidence had just been received, but the state still was waiting on DNA evidence.

    Strider repeatedly said his office had provided open-file discovery to Thompson, which means the defense gets copies of almost everything that the state has, with the exception of internal memos, confidential information and such.

    Tenth Judicial District Court Judge Desiree Duhon Dyess also addressed the case's timetable, asking attorneys whether it was feasible. The case is set to go to trial on Jan. 13, 2020.

    Thompson said he needed to know whether the state planned to seek the death penalty before he could answer that because it could change how he prepares. But he said he's already preparing as if the state will seek the death penalty.

    Strider initially said Thompson would be the second person to know when that decision had been made, after Levi's family members. He then conferred quickly with Natchitoches District Attorney Billy Joe Harrington and told Dyess a decision would be made by Aug. 1.

    With that settled, Dyess told the attorneys that she would like to address the issue of Barker's competency next.

    "Why would we do that, judge?" Strider asked.

    Dyess said it was because Barker is possibly facing the death penalty. Thompson said he had no present concerns about Barker's state, saying she has been able to participate in talks about her defense.

    Dyess asked Barker if she understood what was happening and if she had been able to talk to her attorney about her defense. Barker, who is now serving time in Madison Parish after her probation on a previous drug charge was revoked, said yes to both.

    Thompson also said he had concerns about subjecting Barker to a competency examination because the state would be entitled to copies of doctors' reports that would discuss her thoughts on the crime.

    The next hearing in the case is a pretrial conference set for Aug. 19.

    https://www.thetowntalk.com/story/ne...se/1290790001/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  5. #15
    Administrator Helen's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    Toronto, Ontario, Canada
    Posts
    20,875
    Natchitoches D.A. to seek death penalty against mother accused in infant son's death

    By Vickie Welborn
    KTBS News

    NATCHITOCHES, La. -- The Natchitoches Parish District Attorney’s Office has filed a notice of intent to seek the death penalty in the case of a Natchitoches mother accused in the burning death of her infant son.

    Hanna Barker, 24, is charged with first-degree murder in the July 2018 death of Levi Cole Ellerbe, Barker’s six-month-old son whose body was found near railroad tracks after Barker reported he had been kidnapped from her home. Levi suffered second and third-degree burns over 90 percent of his body and died the next day at a Shreveport hospital.

    Barker’s girlfriend, 26-year-old Felicia Smith, is also charged with first-degree murder in Levi’s death. A notice about possible capital punishment prosecution in Smith's case has not been filed.

    The notice in Barker's case was filed Thursday, confirmed the clerk of court's office.

    District Attorney Billy Joe Harrington said he could not comment.

    According to court records, Smith confessed to setting Levi on fire, but told investigators it was Barker who came up with the plan to kill him.

    Barker has denied any involvement and has pleaded not guilty, as has Smith.

    First-degree murder is punishable by the death sentence upon conviction.

    https://www.ktbs.com/news/natchitoch...a4cf90c5e.html
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  6. #16
    Administrator Helen's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    Toronto, Ontario, Canada
    Posts
    20,875
    Edited:

    Jurors in burned baby case will come from outside Natchitoches Parish


    By Melissa Gregory
    Alexandria Town Talk

    Jurors from outside Natchitoches Parish will be selected to hear the first-degree murder case of a mother accused in the death of her infant son.

    The defense attorney for Hanna Nicole Barker, Dru Thompson, had filed a motion for a change of venue, but Thursday he told 10th Judicial District Court Judge Desiree Duhon Dyess that the state agreed to the change.

    Natchitoches Parish District Attorney Billy Joe Harrington told Dyess that was correct.

    Thompson turned over exhibits with his change of venue motion, including data from a poll. None of that material was discussed during the hearing.

    Barker's trial still will be held in Natchitoches, but the date will be reset once it's determined from which parish the potential jurors will be selected.

    The state alleges that Barker persuaded her one-time girlfriend, 27-year-old Felicia Marie-Nicole Smith, to kill her son, Levi Cole Ellerbe. Smith, who has a Nov. 12 hearing in her case, allegedly took the boy to a ditch, poured gasoline on him and set a fire.

    Both women later were indicted on first-degree murder charges. The state has said it will seek the death penalty against Barker, 24.

    Members of Barker's family were at the hearing Thursday, as were family members of Billy Dean Ellerbe Jr., Levi's father. At one point, a woman from Barker's family tried to hand a notebook and pen across the aisle to the Ellerbe family, but she received puzzled looks.

    The notebook was handed back, then tempers flared. One woman with the Ellerbe family stood up, sat back down and said, "I think we've bent over backwards trying to be nice."

    She also muttered about how she was tired of Barker being treated better than her family and wanted to know what happened to their rights.

    Not long after, Barker entered the courtroom. She walked with a slight limp because of a brace on her left leg. As she sat down, she turned and smiled at her family members, but a bailiff stopped any contact.

    She later left the room to speak with her attorney. When she came back in, she mouthed "I love you" to her family.

    The case will return to court on Nov. 25 for a hearing on five defense motions.

    https://www.thetowntalk.com/story/ne...na/2513748001/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  7. #17
    Administrator Helen's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    Toronto, Ontario, Canada
    Posts
    20,875
    No decision yet on death penalty for woman accused of killing infant

    A decision hasn't been made yet on whether to seek the death penalty for a woman accused in the burning death of a 6-month-old baby, said prosecutors Tuesday during a hearing on multiple motions.

    Felicia Marie-Nicole Smith, 27, sat between her 2 attorneys from the New Orleans-based Louisiana Capital Assistance Center during the hearing. She was indicted in August 2018 on a 1st-degree murder charge in the July 18, 2018, death of Levi Cole Ellerbe.

    A decision hasn't been made yet on whether to seek the death penalty for Felicia Marie-Nicole Smith, who is accused in the burning death of a 6-month-old baby, said prosecutors Tuesday during a hearing on multiple motions.

    The baby was found in a ditch off Breda Avenue late the night before, less than 2 hours after his mother, 24-year-old Hanna Nicole Barker, called 911 to report the infant had been kidnapped after 2 men knocked on the door of her travel trailer off La. Highway 1 and sprayed her in the face with a substance.

    Levi died at a Shreveport hospital, suffering 2nd- and 3rd-degree burns over more than 90% of his body.

    Prosecutors allege Barker asked Smith to kill the baby. The 2 women were involved in a relationship, according to prosecutors.

    Barker does face the death penalty. Another hearing in her 1st-degree murder case is set for Nov. 25. A motion to bring potential jurors into Natchitoches from another parish for her trial was approved last week.

    The new date for Barker's trial hasn't been determined.

    At least 19 defense motions were discussed during Smith's hearing before 10th Judicial District Court Judge Desiree Duhon Dyess, most of them seeking more specific information from the state.

    One motion sought a bill of particulars, which is a written statement that details claims made against a defendant.

    Natchitoches Parish Assistant District Attorney Cliff Strider said, because there is a long-form indictment and open discovery in the case — the prosecution shares everything in its files with the defense — they aren't required to submit a bill of particulars.

    Defense attorney Christine Lehmann disagreed.

    "We believe they do, and it's necessary in this case," she told Dyess.

    As with other motions discussed Tuesday, this one will be revisited. Both sides were given time to research and file briefs with Dyess before a Dec. 16 hearing.

    Lehmann also sought to make sure the defense received exculpatory evidence — evidence favorable to the defendant — from all agencies that have taken part in the investigation.

    Strider said he was "painfully aware" of the state's obligation and responsibility to do so, and he said the state has turned over all such information. He said he had no knowledge now of any other exculpatory evidence, but acknowledged some could come to light later.

    He said that also would be turned over to the defense. Lehmann said she accepted that response.

    Lehmann said the defense will be looking at physical evidence in the case later this week. She inquired about analyses of cellphone tower data and fire debris, which District Attorney Billy Joe Harrington said hasn't been received yet by his office.

    He said it would be turned over once received.

    (source: thetowntalk.com)
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  8. #18
    Administrator Helen's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    Toronto, Ontario, Canada
    Posts
    20,875
    January 2021 trial date set for Felicia Smith in baby's burning death

    By Melissa Gregory
    Alexandria Town Talk

    NATCHITOCHES A trial date was set on Tuesday for Felicia Marie-Nicole Smith, one of two Natchitoches women accused in the burning death of a 6-month-old boy.

    Smith's trial is set to begin Jan. 19, 2021, 10th Judicial District Court Judge Desiree Duhon Dyess announced.

    Smith was indicted in August 2018 on a first-degree murder charge in the July 18, 2018, death of Levi Cole Ellerbe. Levi's mother, Hanna Nicole Barker, also has been indicted on the same charge.

    The women are being tried separately.

    Officials allege that Barker asked Smith to kill the baby and that a kidnapping was staged from the travel trailer where Barker lived with the boy off the La. Highway 1 Bypass late on July 17, 2018. Smith allegedly took the boy to a ditch about a mile away, poured gasoline, lit a fire and left him there.

    Levi was found by firefighters after a passerby on Breda Avenue spotted the fire and reported it. The boy eventually was taken to a Shreveport hospital, where he died early the next day.

    A decision on whether to seek the death penalty for Smith hasn't yet been reached. Barker does face the death penalty, and jurors for her trial will be selected from St. Landry Parish. The trial will be in Natchitoches Parish, however.

    Natchitoches Parish Assistant District Attorney Cliff Strider on Tuesday withdrew a motion for a change of venue in Smith's case after the defense opposed it.

    Most of Tuesday's hearing concerned the defense's efforts to get raw electronic DNA data from the Louisiana State Police Crime Laboratory in Baton Rouge. Dyess had signed a subpoena for that evidence, but it has not been turned over.

    The defense then sought to compel the lab to turn over the data. The state sought to quash the order.

    The defense team, from the New Orleans-based Louisiana Capital Assistance Center, brought in Gina Murphy, an independent DNA consultant who was accepted as an expert, to bolster their assertion that they need this information to do its own investigation.

    Murphy testified, under questioning from defense attorney Christine Lehmann, about how parameters set in laboratories might not reveal all the information contained in DNA samples.

    Lehmann told Dyess the information sought by the defense only had to be copied and then pasted onto media, like a CD or a thumbnail drive, but acknowledged it could take time for lab employees to find the information that's stored on servers.

    Two attorneys representing the lab were in court to address the issue.

    Attorney Faye Morrison asked Murphy, among other things, if she had any experience with the lab's procedures, whether she had tested any evidence in the case, had been asked to retest any evidence or had seen any of the evidence. She answered no to all.

    "If it's so important, they can retest on their own," attorney Laura Hopes argued to Dyess after testimony wrapped.

    "You can't retest something that doesn't exist," Lehmann said later.

    Dyess ruled that she would "reurge and continue ordering" the materials to be provided to the defense.

    No other hearing dates have been set in either Smith's or Barker's cases.

    https://www.thetowntalk.com/story/ne...th/5013861002/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  9. #19
    Administrator Helen's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    Toronto, Ontario, Canada
    Posts
    20,875
    Mother charged in infant son's death claims she's indigent

    By Vickie Welborn
    KTBS News

    NATCHITOCHES, La. – A hearing is set Monday in Natchitoches Parish District Court to determine if a mother accused in the burning death of her infant son should get the state’s assistance to pay for her defense.

    Dhu Thompson, the attorney representing Hanna Barker, of Natchitoches, filed a motion last week seeking to have his client declared indigent. He said Barker has no assets or savings to cover the expenses related to hiring experts or pay her attorney’s proposed travel expenses.

    Declaring Barker indigent would allow her to get state funding, the motion states.

    Barker is charged with first-degree murder in the July 2018 death son, 6-month-old Levi Cole Ellerbe. Her trial is set in October in Opelousas. The Natchitoches Parish District Attorney’s Office is seeking the death penalty.

    Prosecutors say Barker asked her girlfriend, Felicia Marie-Nicole Smith, to kill Levi then waited a few hours before calling 911 to report her son had been kidnapped. Smith is accused of dumping Levi along the railroad tracks in Natchitoches, coating him in gasoline and setting him ablaze. Levi was found with severe burns covering 90 percent of his body and later died.

    Smith is scheduled for trial in January.

    https://www.ktbs.com/news/mother-cha...2e3b2603f.html
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  10. #20
    Administrator Helen's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    Toronto, Ontario, Canada
    Posts
    20,875
    Mom faces additional charge in burning of baby in Natchitoches

    By KTBS News

    NATCHITOCHES, La. - The woman accused of killing her baby boy back in 2018 now faces a new charge.

    According to the Natchitoches Parish Journal, a judge charged Hanna Barker with conspiracy to commit murder. The website says the charge adds $60,000 to her bail that now tops $1 million.

    Prosecutors say Barker asked her girlfriend, Felicia Smith, to kill six month old Levi Cole Ellerbe, then wait a few hours before saying he had been kidnapped.

    Barker's next hearing is next month. Her trial is set to start in September in St. Landry Parish.

    The district attorney is seeking the death penalty.

    Smith's trial is set to start in January.

    https://www.ktbs.com/news/mom-faces-...41c4e2e8f.html
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst 123 LastLast

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •