Co-defendant testifies against homicide suspect in 2022 shooting of Washington woman
A co-defendant in the 2022 shooting death of a Washington woman testified he watched Brandon Allen fire one gunshot amid a barrage of bullets during a drive-by shooting, but the defense painted him as a liar who is only cooperating with police so he doesn’t face his own trial for homicide.
Allen’s trial began Wednesday in the Washington County Courthouse in connection with the May 11, 2022, killing of 58-year-old Kristin Barfield, who was shot once in the chest as she sat on her front porch outside her home at 219 Ridge Ave. in the city.
Washington police accused Allen of firing one gunshot while he was driving down Ridge Avenue with three others in the car, including teenagers Tyriq Moss and Juan Worthey III, both of whom are also facing homicide charges in the case.
Moss testified that he was sitting in the back seat behind the driver when Allen saw Trey Willis – an apparent neighborhood foe – and shouted to the others in the vehicle.
“I heard Brandon yell, ‘There he is. There’s Trey.’ And then I heard gunshots,” Moss testified.
Moss said he watched Allen fire one gunshot while driving before Worthey, who was seated in the backseat behind the passenger, lunged over him and allegedly fired several more gunshots through an open window. While the gunfire was intended for Willis, one bullet struck Barfield in the chest, and she later died at Washington Hospital. Willis was not struck by gunfire during the shooting.
Moss was arrested and charged with homicide about a week after the killing when he refused to cooperate with investigators after Worthey apparently implicated him in the shooting during a police interview. Allen was arrested and charged a couple of days after that.
However, new evidence later pointed to Worthey’s alleged involvement in the shooting, and Moss blamed him and Allen during a subsequent police interview in June 2022. Worthey, who is now 18 and charged as an adult, is still awaiting trial in connection with the case.
Moss, who is also now 18, agreed to testify against Allen and Worthey at both of their trials as part of an agreement with prosecutors, who promised to drop all charges against him if he did. That led to a lengthy and testy exchange between Moss and Allen’s defense attorney, Bill Difenderfer, who claimed the witness was acting in his own self interest to avoid jail time.
“You’re sitting in the backseat and your good friend Juan flies over you and starts shooting. And you do nothing?” Difenderfer said.
“What am I supposed to do? There was a gun in my face,” Moss said.
Difenderfer then accused Moss of firing one of the gunshots and asked him directly if he was armed and had a handgun in his backpack.
“I did not shoot or participate in this,” Moss responded.
That prompted Difenderfer to question how Allen responded to the shooting.
“Would you agree with me that Mr. Allen was upset? Very upset?” Difenderfer said.
“Yes,” Moss said.
“Would you agree with me that he didn’t know what to do?” Difenderfer asked.
“Yes,” Moss responded.
At one point following the shooting, Moss said Allen appeared to turn around in the vehicle and accuse someone in the backseat of shooting Barfield.
“I think you shot his mom,” Moss recounted Allen telling the teens.
Difenderfer then turned to what motivation Moss had in testifying, pointing to the agreement with prosecutors where he agreed to point the finger at Allen and Worthey. Difenderfer noted some of the contradictory statements and outright lies Moss told investigators during his second interview, including not remembering that his acquaintance, Amari Miller, who has not been charged in the case, was riding in the front passenger seat of the car at the time.
“You just lied to this jury,” Difenderfer accused Moss of how he answered questions on the witness stand compared to what he told investigators in the interview.
“I said I didn’t remember,” Moss said.
“Why didn’t you tell them?” Difenderfer asked Moss about identifying Miller as being in the car.
“I don’t know,” Moss said. “I was a scared 15-year-old.”
“No. You had a long time to prepare your statement with your lawyer,” Difenderfer responded. “You’re still facing charges if you don’t testify. They will still prosecute you.”
Moss, who is free on unsecured bond and still attending high school, acknowledged he could face trial for homicide if he doesn’t fully cooperate.
During opening statements Wednesday morning before testimony began, Deputy District Attorney John Friedmann said Allen “committed acts that caused the death of Kristin Barfield.” He added that five of the six shell casings found at the scene matched a handgun believed to be used by Worthey, but the sixth casing went to a gun that has never been found.
“This was an intentional killing,” Friedmann said.
Difenderfer made clear early in his opening statement that he planned to attack Moss’s credibility and his recollection of events.
“Does this person have bias? Does this person have a stake in the outcome?” Difenderfer said.
Difenderfer added that he plans to offer evidence that Allen never fired a weapon during the shooting.
“Brandon Allen never shot a gun. … Brandon Allen had no knowledge they were going to do this,” Difenderfer said.
The gallery behind the prosecution was packed with Barfield’s relatives attending the trial. On the other side, three supporters for Allen sat behind him, prompting him to acknowledge them and make gestures their way during the recesses.
Allen, 33, of Washington is facing charges of homicide, possession of a firearm and two counts each of attempted homicide, aggravated assault, conspiracy and reckless endangerment. He is being held without bond at the Washington County jail.
The trial before Judge Valarie Costanzo will resume this morning, although it’s not known when it will conclude.