JUST IN: Four dead in murder-suicide from one family.
Police are searching for a motive in the apparent murder-suicide that left four family members dead Friday.
Police identified Justin, Inga, Levi and Casey Barnes as the people shot Friday at a rural Gravette home at 15071 Crossover Road.
Police believe Justin Barnes was the shooter, Capt. Chris Kelley of the Gravette Police Department said at a news conference Saturday. Inga is his wife, and Levi and Casey are adult children. Levi and Casey Barnes did not live at the residence, but an 18-year-old sibling who was not present at the time of the incident does.
“We do have a little bit of evidence linking to what we believe may have been the motive, but at this time, I’m not going to release that to the public,” he said.
Justin Barnes filed for divorce March 19, according to Benton County court records. The divorce filing states Justin and Inga were married Aug. 3, 2004, and separated around March 1. There has been no action in the case since it was filed.
In April, Casey and Levi Barnes filed an incorporation with the Arkansas Secretary of State for JLC Contracting Inc.
Justin Barnes has four service-related businesses listed with the Arkansas Secretary of State: Barnes Drywall Inc., J & B Drywall Inc., J & P Lawn Care LLC and JWB’s Majic Tan & Video LLC. All are either revoked or not current. He and his companies faced 18 financially related lawsuits in Benton County since 1998, court documents show.
The couple is listed as filing bankruptcy three times in U.S. Bankruptcy Court of the Western District of Arkansas — Chapter 13 in 1998 and 2002 and Chapter 7 in 2009, court records show. Chapter 13 bankruptcy has the debtor pay off all or part of the debts and Chapter 7 is a liquidation.
