Allen Plumbing Halloween 2017 murder trial begins with opening statements
Herald Democrat
Masks and plexiglass separated the participants in the west courtroom at the Grayson County Courthouse Tuesday as the state s case against Timothy Barnum who has been charged with murder in the 2017 Halloween killing of Robert Allen.
Jurors sat socially distanced in the pews that are normally reserved for spectators and the jury box sat empty as Barnum s attorney Laura Andrade announced that her client was pleading not guilty to the charge. The masks and distanced participants are part of the court s ongoing efforts to protect everyoneinvolved from COVID-19.
First Assistant Grayson County District Attorney Kerye Ashmore and assistant District Attorney Nathan Young laid out their case in opening arguments. Ashmore said the state thinks it can prove that Barnum, who had a child with Robert Allen s daughter, wanted Allen dead to keep him from pressuring that daughter to testify against Barn