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Separate Case Aids In Trimble Murder Arrest

Jerome Barrett Charged In Death Of Marcia Trimble

POSTED: 4:59 pm CDT June 10, 2008
UPDATED: 10:42 pm CDT June 10, 2008

The Channel Four I-team has a much clearer picture of how police linked a convicted rapist to the slaying of Marcia Trimble.

Video: Separate Case Evidence Helps In Trimble Case

The I-Team has obtained documents that not only show how police got DNA from Jerome Barrett, they explain Barrett's response when he was first charged in connection with another slaying.

Clues to the Trimble case come from the file of another woman.

Two weeks before Trimble disappeared in 1975, Vanderbilt student Sarah Des Prez was slain, and 33 years later, Barrett stands charged in both deaths.

According to the I-Team, police may have been led to Barrett in the Trimble case by what evidence and statements were made in the Des Prez investigation.

Court documents obtained by the I-Team show that in 2007, detectives got a search warrant for Barrett's DNA, which he had no choice but to submit.

The documents show that in 1975, detectives found the hairs of a black man at the Des Prez crime scene. Detectives also had semen from Trimble's clothing.

Former Trimble case lead detective Tommy Jacobs said he believes, armed with Barrett's DNA, a link to two slayings became apparent.

"I think they got his DNA, and it matched the Sarah Des Prez case and in the process ran it through the other cases unsolved that we had DNA evidence on, and boom, there pops Marcia's case up," he said.

Documents also show how Barrett responded to being charged with murder.

Detectives said that when they showed Barrett the indictment for the slaying of Des Prez, Barrett responded with, "a short burst of disgust," and told police that, "they had the wrong man and knew nothing about it."

Barrett also said that "he knew the DNA excluded him."

Then there's what Barrett said next: Detectives explained the indictment to Barrett and that he had been charged with two counts of murder, but there was only one victim.

Barrett responded by saying, "One victim, two victims, it's still false," investigators said.

"It's hard to read what's in a person's mind who knows in their mind or in their heart, if they have one, that they know that they are guilty of a hideous crime," said Jacobs.

Barrett's attorney said that "his client is looking forward to his day in court."


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