Prodigious Songcraft Blooms in Sarah Jarosz - The Austin Chronicle

NEWSprosecution, and he said no, he hadn’t, buthe had been in jail for a while and was let outthat afternoon,” Kisner said.Yet what hurt Barrs most, Kisner said, washis own testimony. What seems to have cutthe deepest against him was his inability toremember what movie he’d been watching onTV July 12, 1973, at the exact time of the robbery.In court, Barrs said that he’d actuallybeen home that night, babysitting for Betty’sson. Betty’s mother had had a heart attackthat day, and she needed to be at the hospital– that was the alibi that likely kept Betty fromeven being indicted. Barrs said that he hadstayed home with 9-year-old Terry; the twohad sandwiches for dinner and then settled into watch a Western called Waco. As it turnedout, that wasn’t the movie on that night – itwas Damn Yankees, which Barrs now insists hehad also watched. Waco showed on a Thursdayevening, but not until three weeks later. Barrssaid he simply confused the two days.There was also the fact that Barrs had beento prison before, for threeTHE LONG VINDICATION CONTINUED FROM P.23years on an armed robberybeef. He was paroledjust nine months beforethe Minimax robbery. Inthat case, Barrs said, hewas set up for being anaccomplice to a robbery ofa taxi driver that he didn’teven know would takeplace. Indeed, he said thecabdriver actually testifiedin his defense, but thatwas not enough to persuadea judge that Barrsshould not be convicted.Perhaps it was the combinationof all these things.But Barrs’ jury simply didnot believe his story – even though the hospitalalibi apparently cleared Betty. She cameto court to testify on Barrs’ behalf, butbecause she had inadvertently remained inthe courtroom while Barrs was on the stand– in violation of the rule that keeps potentialwitnesses from hearing one another’s testimony– Judge Blackwell would not allow heraccount of where her family was on the eveningof the robbery. Barrs’ attorney argued onappeal that Betty’s testimony should havebeen allowed, to no avail.As far as the courts are concerned, Barrs’case is over and done. Barrs remains determined.There are problems with Jackson’sconfessions that no one ever bothered topoint out, he says, like Jackson’s account ofmeeting up with Barrs on the evening of therobbery. According to Jackson, Barrs wasdriving a 1961 Ford Falcon that night, butthat wasn’t possible; Barrs didn’t have a carin 1973. He had owned a Falcon in the lateSixties, but that car had been repossessed in1969. And although the police report notesthat fingerprints were collected from thescene that night, the prints recovered did notmatch Barrs, Jackson, or Hopes.There are other clues too, more difficult tofollow. On a recent morning, Barrs pulled“I’ll tell you, mygut feeling is thatRonnie was thereand he was involved.Based on what Iread and whatlittle I can actuallyremember. But youknow, who knows?”– APD InvestigatorRoy Napierfrom a stack of papers a soft and worn envelopepostmarked December 1978. Inside is aletter to Barrs, apparently written and signedby Jackson’s mother, Mary. She writes thatshe had tried to talk to Lee Lee and had evenread Barrs’ letter to him, “and he said he justdidn’t want to hear it. I wish I could help, Iwould. … I am sorry about all this, I dohope something will help you.”Barrs says Mary Jackson’s letter was writtenin response to one he wrote that questionedwhy Jackson had lied about Barrs’ involvementin the Minimax robbery; he believes herletter strongly suggests that Jackson knewwhat he had done. When asked recentlyabout the letter, Mary Jackson claimed shedid not remember getting any letter fromBarrs and denied writing the letter to him –although her other son, Donnie, presentwhen she read a copy of the letter in herEastside living room, confirmed that it wasindeed in his mother’s hand. Lee Lee Jacksondied nearly 17 years ago and took whateversecrets he might have heldwith him to the grave.Barrs remains undeterred.During a recentinterview, Marilyn Hopes,ex-wife of James Hopes,who also did time for the1973 crime, said that notlong after Hopes was sentto prison she confrontedJackson about his story ofwhat happened that night.“He admitted to me thathe did the robbery,” sherecalled – and furtheradmitted that he had liedabout Barrs and Hopes’involvement. “He camestraight out and told methat,” she said. “I asked him … ‘Why wouldyou do your friend like that?’ He didn’t want togo to jail.” This is the kind of lead that keepsBarrs going – and is the sort of information thatmight eventually help to clear his name, saysdefense attorney Hampton.At least it’s a start. Despite the odds, Barrsremains optimistic that he will discover thetruth about the 1973 Minimax robbery – atruth that he says will finally clear his name.Barrs says that’s been his single goal sinceJanuary 1974, when he went on trial. “I wassitting in the courtroom with a Bible,” herecalled recently. “I was holding this Bible; Iwas praying; I was thinking, ‘There has got tobe a supreme judge somewhere, and he hasgot to look down here on me and tell me whatis going on because this isn’t right what isgoing on here.’ And I was squeezing that Bibleand a voice said, like, ‘release that Bible.’ AndI took my hands up and released it and it fellopen,” he says, releasing his hands as heremembers the moment. The book opened tothe gospel of Matthew, Chapter 10, Verse 26.Barrs paraphrases: “It said there is nothingcovered that shall not be revealed; there isnothing hid that shall not be made known.”He concludes, “What is whispered shall beproclaimed from the housetop.” EVERYONEIS DYINGTO READ...It is the time of the Great Depression.Thousands have left their homeslooking for a better life, a new life.But Marcus Connelly is not one ofthem. He searches for one thing,and one thing only…the man who killed his daughter.“BENNETT WEAVES A MODERNCOMBINATION OF HORROR,HISTORICAL FICTION ANDHIGH-FANTASY….MR. SHIVERSCREATES A BRUTAL NEWAMERICAN MYTHOLOGY.”—Scott Sigler, New York Timesbestselling author of ContagiousAVAILABLE IN HARDCOVERwww.mistershivers.comOrbit is an imprint of Hachette Book Group2010 Impreza 2.5i SedanAUTOMATIC$211PER MONTH42 mo. lease$999 TOTAL due at lease signingTT&L IncludedModel AJB. 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