Palm Coast teen sentenced to prison for fatal shooting of another teen at party
A teenager was sentenced on Friday to nine years in prison for fatally shooting another teenager during a party two years ago in some woods in Palm Coast.
Da’Mari Barnes was 15 when he shot and killed Jamey Jahiem Bennett, 19, at the party in a patch of woods off Old Kings Road in the early morning hours of Feb. 5, 2022. Both teens were Palm Coast residents.
Besides the nine years in prison, Circuit Judge Terence Perkins also sentenced the 17-year-old Barnes to serve 15 years probation once he completes his prison term. Perkins also ordered that Barnes take anger management and impulse control courses. Perkins reserved a decision on restitution.
Barnes, 17, pleaded no contest on Oct. 23 to manslaughter with a firearm, a first-degree felony punishable by up to 30 years in prison. It was an open plea, meaning no agreement was reached with prosecutors on prison time, giving the judge greater discretion in sentencing.
Barnes minimum sentence is 138 months in prison, which works out to 11.5 years, according to state sentencing guidelines. His defense attorney, Steven Robinson, asked for a lower sentence, citing among other things that the shooting was an isolated incident and Barnes has accepted responsibility and shown remorse.
Assistant State Attorney Jennifer Dunton asked the judge to sentence Barnes to the state guideline sentence of 11 years.
The party was a birthday bonfire for a girl there, according to a charging affidavit. It was an "open invite" and the information was shared on social media. At the party, a female was dancing near the fire when she bumped into Barnes who then yelled at her and shoved her.
Bennett then defended the female telling Barnes he should not put his hands on her, the affidavit stated. That led to an altercation between Barnes and Bennett. Bennett punched Barnes knocking him to the ground, the affidavit stated. Barnes got up, drew his handgun and shot Bennett, the affidavit stated.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Palm Coast teen gets prison for killing other teen at party in woods
