Cumberland County man pleads guilty in murder of friend

A 21-year-old man pleaded guilty Thursday to the murder of his neighbor in 2022, court records show.

Amaru Edward Barnes, of Grouper Drive, pleaded to second-degree murder in the shooting death of his friend Jesse James McDowell, 20, according to court records. Barnes was sentenced to between 10 years, five months, and 13 years, six months in prison, the record states. He was given credit for the more than two years spent in jail awaiting trial.

Barnes entered an Alford plea to the charge, the record states. An Alford plea is when a defendant maintains innocence but admits the state has enough evidence for a conviction. It is treated the same as a guilty plea.

At the time of the killing, Barnes was a senior at Southview High School, according to court records.

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McDowell was shot in the face in the kitchen of his home in Taylors Creek Mobile Home Park, Jan. 21, 2022, according to an autopsy investigation report. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to a report, a witness told law enforcement that McDowell and Barnes, who were neighbors, were playing video games in McDowell's room when McDowell left to go to the kitchen. Barnes shot McDowell with a .40 caliber handgun as McDowell opened the refrigerator, the report states.

Barnes was arrested a half an hour later at his home, an arrest report states.

Public safety reporter Joseph Pierre can be reached at jpierre@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Amaru Barnes guilty of shooting and killing neighbor, Jesse McDowell