Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw announced that a 32-year-old Willingboro resident was sentenced yesterday to 30 years in New Jersey State Prison for fatally shooting a man three years ago outside of a house in the township’s Millbrook Park neighborhood.
Kwacey Q. Owens must serve the entire sentence before becoming eligible for parole, according to the terms handed down in Mount Holly by the Hon. Mark P. Tarantino, J.S.C.
A Superior Court jury, after deliberating for two hours in September, found Owens guilty of Murder (First Degree), Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose (Second Degree), and Unlawful Possession of a Weapon (Second Degree). In addition to the conviction, Owens pled guilty to two counts of Certain Persons Not to Have Weapons (Second Degree).
The investigation began October 8, 2020, after Willingboro Township police officers were called to the first block of Maplewick Lane just after 1:30 a.m. for a report of a shooting. Upon arrival, they found the body of Barry Barino, 28, outside the rear door of his home.
He was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy performed by Burlington County Medical Examiner Dr. Ian Hood ruled that Barino’s death was caused by a gunshot wound to the head.
The investigation revealed that Barino and Owens were acquaintances, and that Owens had been inside the victim’s home a short time earlier before luring him outside to his death. The weapon used in the shooting, a .45 caliber pistol, was later recovered in a separate residence where Owens was staying at the time.
Owens was prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutor Jamie Hutchinson. The investigation was conducted by detectives from the Willingboro Township Police Department and the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office. The lead investigators were BCPO Major Crimes Unit Detective Sergeant Tony Luyber, BCPO Crime Scene Unit Detective Sergeant Tim Horne, BCPO High-Tech Crimes Unit Detective Sergeant Kevin Sobotka and WTPD Detective Elijah Hart.