Hartshorne man pleads guilty to murder charge

Nov. 7—A Hartshorne man accused of murder in December 2023 pleaded guilty in federal court this week.

Records show Timothy Barber, 44, was first charged in June 2024 in Indian Country with second-degree murder, using, carrying, brandishing and discharging a firearm during and in connection with a crime of violence, causing the death of a person. Violation of Title 18 and criminal possession of ammunition.

Barber was accused of shooting and killing a woman who was not named in court documents.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced this week that Barber pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.

“U.S. Magistrate Judge D. Edward Snow in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report,” the office said in a statement. he said. “The barber was transferred to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending sentencing.”

According to the plea agreement, Barber admitted that he “willfully, premeditatedly, and premeditatedly killed the victim by shooting him in the head with a .22-caliber bolt-action rifle.”

The agreement states that if the judge accepts the plea deal, Barber’s sentence will be between 21 and 27 years in federal prison. The judge is not bound by the agreement and can impose any punishment he wishes according to the agreement.

Records show that the maximum possible sentence for second-degree murder is life in prison, up to five years of supervised release, and/or a fine of up to $250,000.

Barber’s sentencing will be set at a later date following a pre-sentence investigation.

The trial, which was scheduled to begin on December 2, was canceled due to the plea agreement.