POLK COUNTY- The man found guilty of Murder in the Second Degree for a 2015 shooting will spend at least 35 years in prison.
Dre’Sean Barber, 26, was convicted in October of Murder in the Second Degree and Assault with Intent to Inflict Serious Injury. In November 2015, police responded to Court Avenue on reports of a shooting. Both Edmanuel Perez and Andrew Hurley-Boyd were found shot, with Perez later dying from his injuries.
Eddie Perez-Bruno, Perez’s brother, said there had been a problem between his brother and a former friend named “Dre.” He told police they’d been having altercations for the past two years.
Perez-Bruno said they left Carbon, a bar on Court Avenue, to confront “Dre” about recent issues. He turned to fight someone else when he heard three gunshots and found his brother and Hurley-Boyd lying on the ground.
Barber was sentenced Thursday to a 50-year prison term on the murder count and 2 years for the assault count, with the sentences being run consecutively. Murder in the Second Degree carries a 70% mandatory minimum, meaning Barber will spend at least 35 years behind bars.
Barber’s attorneys had requested a new trial, saying “The Court erred by overruling Mr. Barber’s request for a mistrial based on the Las Vegas mass shooting that occurred the evening before the jury was to deliberate”. The request for new trial was denied by Polk County Judge Karen Romano.
