BULLHEAD CITY — The prosecution of a Laughlin man originally charged with second-degree murder in a vehicle-pedestrian fatality in Bullhead City ends with a much lesser conviction and probation.
James Barr, 46, was driving when a passenger in the backseat tumbled out of his vehicle onto the pavement and was struck and killed by another vehicle in the vicinity of Highway 95 and Hancock Road on Feb. 19. Bullhead City police investigated the death as an orchestrated event involving other unidentified parties.
At an Oct. 7 change of plea hearing, deputy Mohave County attorney Jacob Cote said it was unclear if the victim, Moses French, 40, jumped, fell or was forced from the vehicle.
No one else was ever charged and Barr pleaded guilty for failing to remain at the scene of an accident involving death. He also pleaded guilty to a drug charge for possessing methamphetamine when arrested on March 17.
At Barr’s Oct. 27 sentencing hearing, Cote said witness and other evidentiary matters presented issues for securing convictions at trial.
“I know from the moment I saw this, this was going to be a very challenging case,” Cote said. He said the state proceeded thinking the strength of its case would get better, but got worse.
Mohave County Superior Court judge Megan McCoy said she recognized “the difficult and uphill battle for the state to go to trial” and branded the resolution as “extremely generous.”
It was a guaranteed probation plea deal, and McCoy placed Barr on probation for 3 years. She ordered a 243-day jail sentence, crediting Barr with 225 days already served.
Barr should be released from custody well before Thanksgiving.
