Harthorn man pleads guilty to murder

Nov. 7—A Hartshorne man charged with murder in December 2023 pleaded guilty this week in federal court.

Records show Timothy Barber, 44, was originally charged in June 2024 with second-degree murder in Indian Country, using, carrying, brandishing and discharging a firearm during and in connection with a crime of violence resulting in the death of a person in violation of Title 18 and felon in possession of ammunition.

Barber was charged with killing the woman, who was not named in court documents.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced this week that Barber entered a guilty plea in the District to second-degree murder.

“The Honorable D. Edward Snow, Magistrate Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted the plea and ordered the preparation of an investigative report,” the office said in a statement. “Barber was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service pending sentencing.”

According to the plea agreement, Barber admitted that he “intentionally, deliberately and with malice aforethought” killed the victim by “shooting her in the head with a .22 caliber bolt-action rifle.”

The agreement states that Barber’s applicable sentence would be 21 to 27 years in federal prison if the judge agrees to the plea deal. The judge is not bound by the agreement and can impose any sentence in accordance with the agreement.

Records show the maximum possible penalty for second-degree murder is up to life in prison, up to five years of supervised release and/or a fine of up to $250,000.

Barber will be sentenced at a later date following a pre-sentence investigation.

The trial, which was scheduled to begin Dec. 2, was canceled due to a plea agreement.