Central KY man sentenced to 20 years in prison on manslaughter, robbery charges
Jemel Barber, 23, was sentenced to 20 years in prison Friday morning by judge Thomas Travis on charges of manslaughter and second-degree robbery.
Barber shot and killed 40-year-old Tyrece Clark during an attempted robbery at a Lexington motel in 2017, per court records. Barber told police after the deadly shooting on July 23, 2017, that he showed up to the motel with a rifle, intending to rob Clark of narcotics and/or money, according to court records.
But Clark started shooting after Barber knocked on his door, Barber told police, so he shot back, killing Clark.
Barber initially was charged with murder and first degree robbery, but his charges were amended down after a plea agreement was reached. He pleaded guilty last November.
The plea agreement was reached after attorneys disputed whether or not Barber could claim self-defense. Barber maintained that Clark was the aggressor and his attorneys continued to blame Clark as the court case played out.
“I shot because I was scared,” Barber told police when he was being questioned after the shooting, according to court records. “ ... I didn’t know what was going on.”
Prosecutors recommended a 15-year sentence for the manslaughter charge and a 10-year sentence for the robbery charge. Barber’s attorney asked Travis for concurrent sentences, citing how a string of events in his young life have affected him dramatically and concurrent sentences could give him a chance to get back on track.
Travis partially obliged, making five years of the 10-year sentence for the robbery charge concurrent with the 15-year sentence for the manslaughter charge.
Jeremy Chisenhall contributed to this story.
