Jan 11, 2025 By Mike Jones 6 min read

A Washington man who participated in a drive-by shooting that killed a woman in 2022 was convicted on numerous counts following a two-day trial last week, but found not guilty on the most serious charge of homicide.

Brandon Ronald Allen, 33, was found guilty of attempted homicide, aggravated assault, conspiracy and two counts of reckless endangerment after a jury of six men and six women deliberated for more than six hours Friday.

The jury acquitted Allen on the homicide charge, along with another count of attempted homicide and another charge of aggravated assault. He was also found guilty on one count of possession of a prohibited firearm. Judge Valarie Costanzo, who presided over the trial, is scheduled to sentence Allen on April 9.

Allen was accused of firing a single gunshot from his car while another person fired a barrage of bullets from the rear of the vehicle during the May 11, 2022 drive-by shooting that killed 58-year-old Kristen Barfield as she sat on the porch of her residence at 219 Ridge Ave. in Washington. The gunshots fired from the vehicle were intended for Barfield’s son, Trey Willis, but instead struck her and narrowly missed another man on the porch.

During the trial, prosecutors contended that Juan Worthey III, who was 15 at the time, fired five gunshots from the backseat during the drive-by shooting. Worthey, who is now 18, is still awaiting trial on homicide and other charges in connection with Barfield’s killing.

In rendering the verdict, jurors decided that Allen did indeed pull the trigger while driving, firing one gunshot aimed at Willis, but that the errant bullet did not strike Barfield, nor did it come close to striking Charles “Larry” Dickerson, who was sitting on the porch next to her. Barfield died of a single gunshot wound to the chest.

“We want to thank the jury for their time and the seriousness which they took to this case, a number of days of trial and a good number of hours of deliberation,” said Deputy District Attorney John Friedmann, who prosecuted the case. “Their time and their verdict showed that they obviously took their task very seriously. We are also happy that justice has come for this part of the case, and we look forward to seeking justice in the next steps.”

During closing statements Friday morning, defense attorney Bill Difenderfer told the jury that the only witness to the shooting they could rely on was Amari Miller, who was riding in the front seat of the car and has not been accused of any wrong-doing. Miller testified Thursday that he heard gunshots in the backseat of the car and never saw Allen fire a weapon as he was seated next to him.

Difenderfer told the jury that “what happened in that car” is the question, and they should trust the person who has no stake in the outcome of the trial.

“He was inside the car. When you look and compare witnesses (ask yourself) does the witness have any interest in the outcome of this case?” Difenderfer said. “The witness who has the least interest in the case is Amari MIller.”

That contrasts with the testimony of Tyriq Moss, who was also charged with homicide but testified against Allen on Wednesday in order for the case against him to be dropped. Moss implicated Allen in the shooting, claiming he fired once while also testifying that Worthey fired multiple times from the backseat while leaning over him.

Difenderfer alleged that it was Moss who fired the single shot and then blamed Allen in order to negotiate a deal with prosecutors.

“Do they have an interest in this case?” Difenderfer asked of Moss and Worthey implicating each other during police interviews. “Mr. Worthey and Mr. Moss could probably get life in prison. Mr. Moss is still facing charges.”

Difenderfer said Worthey had a motive and accused Moss of conspiring with him to cook up a story before speaking to police that later fell apart. He questioned why Allen would conduct a drive-by shooting in his own vehicle in broad daylight, and noted he was upset in the aftermath, according to earlier testimony.

“This is a guy who planned a shooting, planned an escape,” Difenderfer said. “And there is no evidence of a motive for Mr. Allen to shoot at Mr. Willis from that car.”

In his closing statement, Friedmann pointed to evidence showing that five of the six shell casings at the scene matched a gun allegedly used by Worthey, but a sixth casing did not match any guns that were recovered. He argued that Miller testified to seeing Allen “racking” a black and tan handgun, which has never been located, during the drive-by shooting. Friedmann dismissed the defense’s assertion that Moss was armed since there was no evidence showing that.

“We also know Tyriq did not have a gun. There’s no witnesses who saw him with a gun. There’s no video of him with a gun. The defense would have to infer that,” Friedmann said. “We do know from two witnesses that Brandon Allen had a gun. A black and tan gun that was never recovered.”

He said the jury should decide for themselves whether Moss was an accomplice and if his testimony was “self serving.” But he added that portions of the testimony from both Moss and Miller matched. As for Allen being upset about the shooting, Friedmann argued it was because the intended target wasn’t the one who was killed by the hail of bullets.

“I submit to you that he wasn’t angry because of what Mr. Worthey did, what Mr. Moss ‘did,'” Friedmann said while putting the last word in air quotes. “I submit to you that he was angry because he missed. … Ladies and gentleman, don’t reward Brandon Allen for being a bad shot.”

The jury then was given instructions by Costanzo and began deliberations, which lasted more than six hours before the jurors returned their verdict shortly before 6 p.m. Allen has been held without bond at the Washington County jail following his arrest about 10 days after the shooting.