2014/11/14
FRANKLIN COUNTY — Officer Bill McKinney has agreed to a plea deal and will serve a shockingly light sentence after the beating death of Roy Barnhart, according to reports.
Roy Barnhart was a 62-yr-old man whom Officer McKinney arrested in July.
Even though Roy Barnhart was elderly and restrained by handcuffs, Officer McKinney began attacking him, pounding his head in while he was on the ground.
Roy Barnhart died in the hospital shortly after the beating, leaving behind his wife and family.
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His wife Sue said, “I’m glad Officer McKinney admitted to the role that he played.”
“It’s been a very long 16 months but now that it’s over, maybe we can get on and heal,” she added.
Officer McKinney was charged with aggravated battery, “involuntary” manslaughter, and official misconduct.
Officer McKinney pleaded guilty only to the official misconduct charge as part of a plea deal that the others would be dropped if he did so.
The incident began when Barnhart and his neighbors were involved in a dispute.
Nothing became violent until Officer McKinney arrived at the scene to “restore order.”
Barnhart apparently asked the officer to leave, and the two got in a heated argument. Officer McKinney then engaged in an extreme show of brutality.
“The officer pepper-sprayed him until his shirt was wet, then he tased him in the wet t-shirt,” said Louise Lantham, Roy’s ex-wife.
“Roy was on the ground shaking.”
“Officer McKinney started kicking him in the head, kicking him in the ribs, stomping on his hands, stomping on his leg, after he was already down and in handcuffs,” she added.
Then, Barnhart while still in handcuffs was forced to the curb.
When he was down on the curb, Officer McKinney beat him even harder, according to eyewitnesses. “I looked over and the Officer had his fist doubled up and punched him at least twice,” said Lantham.
The beating was so bad that several neighbors, as well as medics from an ambulance that was called, had to literally pull Officer McKinney off of Barnhart, whose body laid limp and in pain, said witnesses.
Barnhart was rushed to a hospital in St. Louis — days later, he died.
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Officer McKinney has been given only 18 months, but those months will not be served in jail.
Only on the weekends will he be required to report to the county jail; for the remainder of the sentence, he’ll get to hang out at home under house arrest.
Roy’s son Eric, devastated over the death of his father, said that Officer McKinney should not be privileged just because he is a police officer.
“They should do him like they would anybody else,” Eric said.