Posted 2:45 am Saturday, November 03, 2012
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Man gets life for child sex assault
Staff Reports
A Henderson County jury of 11 women and one man sentenced Horace “Joe” Barker, 47 of Athens, to life in the Texas Department of Corrections Friday after convicting him of aggravated sexual assault late Thursday, according to information from the office of District Attorney Scott McKee.
A Henderson County jury of 11 women and one man sentenced Horace “Joe” Barker, 47 of Athens, to life in the Texas Department of Corrections Friday after convicting him of aggravated sexual assault late Thursday, according to information from the office of District Attorney Scott McKee.
The trial, which began Tuesday, was held in Judge Carter Tarrance’s 392nd District Court. Assistant District Attorneys Nancy Rumar and Jenny Huckle prosecuted the case.
The conviction stems from the 2003 aggravated sexual assault of a 6-year-old child, according to information from the district attorney.
The trial began with testimony from the victim and her mother. The victim described for the jury in detail how Barker forced her to have intercourse with him, according to a news release.
Shelia Durden of the Henderson County Help Center and Investigator Michael Shelley of the Henderson County Sherriff’s Office also testified during the trial.
The trial began with testimony from the victim and her mother. The victim described for the jury in detail how Barker forced her to have intercourse with him, according to a news release.
Shelia Durden of the Henderson County Help Center and Investigator Michael Shelley of the Henderson County Sherriff’s Office also testified during the trial.
During sentencing, the jury also heard evidence that the defendant was previously convicted in 2007 of sexual assault of a 14-year old girl and had physically abused several women that he had been in relationships with over for more than 20 years, according to the news release.
In their closing arguments to the jury, Rumar and Huckle referred to Barker as a dangerous man with violent tendencies toward women and girls before asking the jurors to remove him from society.
“This defendant has spent his adult life abusing women and young girls and now 13 women (two prosecutors and 11 jurors) have removed him from our community,” McKee said.
In their closing arguments to the jury, Rumar and Huckle referred to Barker as a dangerous man with violent tendencies toward women and girls before asking the jurors to remove him from society.
“This defendant has spent his adult life abusing women and young girls and now 13 women (two prosecutors and 11 jurors) have removed him from our community,” McKee said.
