The case of Jessica Barnes‘ murder just got more complicated…
The 20-year-old South Carolina native was reported missing by her mother back on September 10. She hadn’t communicated with her family in over a month, and her husband Brandon Barnes wasn’t answering either. Naturally mom got suspicious. Sadly, everyone’s fears were realized last week when the Town Of Pendleton Police Department confirmed human remains they’d found were Jessica.
Brandon was brought in for questioning, along with the couple’s two female roommates, Victoria Tippett and Kendall Mims. Cops say Brandon confessed to strangling Jessica, so he was charged with murder.
The roomies were arrested as well, as police say they confessed to helping Brandon attempt to hide the body. They were charged with accessory after the fact, obstruction of justice, and misprision of a felony.
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Why would they commit such serious crimes for their roommate? Well, we imagine a lot of folks following the case hypothesized there was something more going on than just a rental agreement situation between the young people. And they were right. It turns out Brandon had a sexual relationship with both of the other girls while married to Jessica. Pendleton Police Chief Roberts Crosby spilled to People:
“[Jessica and Brandon] began their relationship 18 months ago and during that time, Brandon was still having a relationship with Kendall because he had a baby with her six months ago.”
Damn, really?? A secret love child, too? That plus a kid with another woman who accused him of domestic abuse… How many red flags can a guy have?
So wait, how did he keep the affair secret from his wife? We mean, a baby is pretty damning evidence, right?
Brandon told Jessica that Kendall was his sister! And their daughter was his niece! That’s according to Troy Styles of Blunt Force Media, media advisors now working with Jessica’s family.
The other relationship, with Victoria? Jessica learned about that one pretty soon after she moved in. Apparently that was more than just sex. A lot more. Brandon and Victoria had applied for a marriage license in late 2023! Less than a year ago! But in January, he married Jessica instead! WTF!
Jessica was also pregnant with Brandon’s child. Her baby was stillborn on Easter Day, per Styles. That actually helped the aggrieved mother to bond with Victoria — who also had a child who’d passed away in an accident just months earlier. So they were all friends. Were…
You can probably guess where this is going. According to Styles, Jessica walked in on Brandon and Victoria having sex on July 31. Betrayed, she decided to leave for her mother’s house. It was the very next day she disappeared, never to be seen by anyone again. Seems like we now have a motive… sort of. We mean, they were the ones cheating on her. Maybe there was a fight that escalated into violence? Like we said, Brandon had been accused of abuse before.
Just such a sad case. All these people are so young. That’s four lives destroyed, one ended for good. And now a baby losing her parents, too. Just awful.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, help is available. Consider calling the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233, or text START to 88788, or go to https://www.thehotline.org/.
[Image via Town Of Pendleton Police Department/Anderson County Sheriff’s Office.]
