Rocky Barton
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Rocky Lee Barton (July 28, 1956 – July 12, 2006) was executed by the State of
Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...
on July 12, 2006, for the murder of his wife, 43-year-old Kimbirli Jo Barton, at their home in
Waynesville, Ohio Waynesville is a village in Wayne Township, Warren County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,669 at the 2020 census. It is named for General "Mad" Anthony Wayne. The village, located at the crossroads of U.S. Route 42 and State Rout ...
. Convicted on October 10, 2003, Barton spent almost three years 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, then in the back with a shotgun. Barton's uncle and 17-year-old daughter witnessed the shooting. At trial, Barton admitted to the
murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse committed with the necessary Intention (criminal law), intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisd ...
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 Lebanon is a city in Warren County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. The population was 20,841 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is part of the Cincinnati metropolitan area. History Lebanon is in the Symmes Purchase. Th ...
. Due to the mask, he was referred to as "Darth Vader." At one time in particular, Rocky Barton and Kimberli's ex-husband were incarcerated at the Warren County Jail at the same time. The two were never held in the same pod. Two months after his sentence, Barton filed his notice of direct appeal to the
Ohio Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of Ohio is the highest court in the U.S. state of Ohio, with final authority over interpretations of Ohio law and the Ohio Constitution. The court has seven members, a chief justice and six associate justices, ...
, but on October 4, 2004, Barton filed a ''
pro se ''Pro se'' legal representation ( or ) means to argue on one's own behalf in a legal proceeding, as a defendant or plaintiff in civil cases, or a defendant in criminal cases, rather than have representation from counsel or an attorney. The ...
'' motion to withdraw appeal and waive counsel. The
Ohio Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of Ohio is the highest court in the U.S. state of Ohio, with final authority over interpretations of Ohio law and the Ohio Constitution. The court has seven members, a chief justice and six associate justices, ...
held
oral argument Oral arguments are spoken presentations to a judge or appellate court by a lawyer (or parties when representing themselves) of the legal reasons why they should prevail. Oral argument at the appellate level accompanies written briefs, which also ...
in September 2005 and in October 2005 Barton filed another ''pro se'' motion to waive all review of his conviction. He opted not to apply for executive clemency. Barton had worked as a construction laborer and horse trainer and had served time in prison before the murder. He admitted his parents' divorce, drug and alcohol use, as well as problems with depression and anxiety, had influenced his life.


See also

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Capital punishment in Ohio Capital punishment is a legal penalty in the U.S. state of Ohio, although all executions have been suspended indefinitely by Governor Mike DeWine until a replacement for lethal injection is chosen by the Ohio General Assembly. The last execution ...
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Capital punishment in the United States In the United States, capital punishment (also known as the death penalty) is a legal penalty in 27 states (of which two, Oregon and Wyoming, do not currently have any inmates sentenced to death), throughout the country at the federal leve ...
* List of people executed in Ohio *
List of people executed in the United States in 2006 Fifty-three people were executed in the United States in 2006. Twenty-four of them were in the state of Texas. One ( Brandon Wayne Hedrick) was executed via electrocution. The states of California, Montana, Nevada, and North Carolina, have not car ...
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Volunteer (capital punishment) In capital punishment, a volunteer is a prisoner who wishes to be sentenced to death. Often, volunteers will waive all appeals in an attempt to expedite the sentence. In the United States, execution volunteers constitute approximately 10% of prison ...


References


External links


Death Row interview


! colspan="3" , Executions carried out in Ohio , - ! colspan="3" , Executions carried out in the United States {{DEFAULTSORT:Barton, Rocky 1956 births 2006 deaths 2003 murders in the United States 21st-century executions by Ohio American people executed for murder People executed by Ohio by lethal injection People from Butler County, Ohio People from Waynesville, Ohio Executed people from Ohio People convicted of murder by Ohio 21st-century executions of American people