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WELLSBURG – Joseph Barki is carrying a full plate of murder cases into his third year as Brooke County prosecutor.
Barki, who took over as the county’s chief law enforcement officer in January 2012 after serving for 11 years as an assistant prosecutor, said Brooke County is experiencing an unprecedented string of homicides-including five, possibly six, that have yet to come to trial.
“We had two in the past 13 years, and now we have five at the same time,” he said. “There is no real explanation. It is just a matter of timing.”
Possibly the most disturbing case is that of 16-year-old Shannon M. Bartz of Wellsburg. She will be tried as an adult for allegedly beating her father, Donald Bartz, 56, to death with the butt of a shotgun.
“It’s an incredibly heinous crime that doesn’t appear to have any rational motive to it,” Barki said.
He said Donald Bartz did not approve of his daughter’s older boyfriend and he forbid her from having a cell phone to call him.
The original juvenile petition against Shannon Bartz states that on May 19, 2014, when her father came into her room and found her using a cell phone, he pulled her into his room.
She told investigators she grabbed a cordless drill and began swinging it toward his face.
As he moved toward her she turned on the drill and pointed it toward his face. He then allegedly threw her on the bed and when he let her up she hit him in the face with the drill.
According to the report, Shannon Bartz ran to a corner, picked up a shotgun and began trying to hit her father with the butt end of the gun. He held her as they struggled for the shotgun and both were stunned momentarily when the gun went off. Shannon then took possession of the shotgun and began beating him in the head with the butt end. She allegedly told investigators that her father said, “stop, you’re killing me” loudly as he dug his fingernails into her arms.
She told police her dad kicked her, causing her to fall, and he reached for another gun that was located behind him. She then laid her gun down, grabbed the gun her father had, went into the hallway and threw it down. Donald Bartz then locked the bedroom door and leaned against it to prevent her from getting back into his bedroom.
She told police she shook the door until it came off its hinges and was able to get back into her father’s room, where she picked up his shotgun and struck him in the face with it until he stopped moving.
According to the report, Shannon Bartz sat on the bed for about 10 minutes and then called two friends before calling 911.
Barki said the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals in December denied an appeal by Assistant Public Defender Bob Gaudio and appointed counsel Martin Sheehan asking that Bartz be tried as a juvenile. No trial date has been set.
Other pending murder cases in the county are:
– Christopher Devin Kinker, 21, of Follansbee is facing second-degree murder and child abuse charges after he allegedly killed his seven-week-old son.
According to court documents, police began an investigation after the child was pronounced dead on Dec. 5 at Pittsburgh Children’s Hospital. Hospital staff said fractures to the baby’s skull were consistent with being shaken and they also found more than one of the child’s ribs were healing after having been broken.
Brooke County Ambulance Service staff members who transported the child from the Kinker home found the infant “unresponsive and lifeless.”
Investigators said Kinker allegedly admitted to shaking the child in his bassinet because he was crying, saying it caused his head to strike the wall.
Kinker appeared in magistrate court for a preliminary hearing on Dec. 22 but the case was continued because he did not have an attorney. He is scheduled to return at 10:45 a.m. Jan 26.
– Rocco Zuccaro, 28, of Burgettstown, Pa. will go on trial Feb. 23 for the shooting death of 30-year-old Jason Lee Pratz, who was found dead in his McKinleyville home on Feb. 19, 2013. He had been shot three times.
A Brooke County grand jury indicted Zuccarro in September 2013, but the case has been delayed because of psychological evaluations and discovery issues between the prosecutor and defense attorneys.
A court-ordered psychological evaluation of Zuccaro found he is mentally ill, but competent to stand trial.
In an Oct. 30 hearing, defense attorney Michael Nogay asked Circuit Judge Ronald Wilson to admit testimony that suggests someone else could have been responsible.
Court documents reveal a vehicle matching the description of Zuccaro’s was seen in the vicinity of Pratz’ home near the time of his death and shell casings found near Pratz belonged to a type of pistol owned by Zuccaro.
– Another murder case is unfolding in the Dec. 18 bow and arrow killing of a pipeline inspector in Wellsburg.
Police are trying to locate 35-year-old Jammie Castillo, who is described as a girlfriend to the victim, Wesley Plants, 51, of Sanders Drive.
Sgt. Les Skinner said efforts to locate Castillo have been unsuccessful as her mother has reported her missing to authorities in Burlington, Iowa, where she had been living.
He said police believe Castillo lived with Plants in Wellsburg sometime before his death, but it’s not known when or for how long. He said Castillo is being sought as a person of interest who may have information about his death.
Police believe Plants was in the foyer between his house and garage when the arrow struck him in the lower back. From there, he went to a nearby house and, when the neighbor opened the door, Plants fell inside and onto the floor.
– A fifth homicide was settled with a plea on May 6 when Adam Michael Barnhart, 18, of Weirton, admitted to killing Frank Tulock, 36, of Orchard Street on Sept. 8, 2013.
Tulock sustained multiple gunshot wounds and died at the scene, apparently after attempting to intervene in a domestic dispute involving Barnhart and his girlfriend.
Wilson sentenced Barnhart to 50 years in prison after taking guilty pleas on one count of second degree murder and two counts of wanton endangerment.
Barki said he is unable to comment on another homicide being investigated by Brooke County authorities.
The prosecutor said none of the current murder cases appear to be drug related. He said the murder cases are putting a strain on his office.
“In addition to the murders, there are other serious cases demanding our attention,” he said. “The felony cases do not stop coming. We can’t ignore them and we take them all seriously.”
Barki said Brooke County, not unlike surrounding counties, has seen a spike in heroin use and many home invasions, burglaries and theft cases are driven by that factor.