Justin Barkley Trial: Walmart shooter pleads guilty to manslaughter, menacing police

After nearly 15 hours of jury selection, Justin Barkley pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the first degree and menacing a police officer in a court appearance on Thursday afternoon, according to court documents and a statement from the District Attorney's office.

Barkley, of Dryden, will serve up to 25 years in prison.

The plea bargain was struck hours after seating the final jurors for what was expected to be a three-week trial. Once the jury was selected Thursday morning, Tompkins County Judge John Rowley suddenly dismissed the jury until next week, citing "unexpected issues" for the delay.

Barkley pleaded guilty Thursday to killing 52-year-old Candor resident William Schumacher in December 2016 in Ithaca's Walmart parking lot.

“I strongly believe that this plea is a measure of justice in what is a profoundly tragic case," Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten said in a Friday press release.

In his sentencing hearing, scheduled for Feb. 13th, Barkley will be sentenced to 25 years in state prison for Manslaughter in the First Degree, and 8 years in state prison for Menacing a Police Officer. Both are the maximum legal sentences for the convictions.

"The most important thing is that Justin Barkley will be sentenced to 25 years in state prison.... We would not have permitted the defendant to plead guilty to Manslaughter in the First Degree without a guarantee that he would receive the maximum sentence of 25 years in prison," Van Houten said.

The evening of Dec. 8, 2016 began as a typical overnight delivery shift for UPS Driver Schumacher, who stopped at the Walmart at 135 Fairgrounds Memorial Parkway for a meal. The night turned deadly when Barkley reportedly shot him.

A witness told police that following the gunfire, Schumacher fell to his stomach, and Barkley rolled up the window of his pickup truck, backing out of his parking space and running over Schumacher on his way out.

"The [driver] in the truck did not appear to be in a hurry until after he ran over the guy on the ground, he rolled up his window and backed out of his parking spot like a normal customer," the witness said.

The witness called 911 at 12:52 a.m., and responding officers led Barkley on a chase down Route 13 to his home on Dryden Road. Once they arrived, Barkley fired a "sound shot" from his rifle to keep police away. He retreated into his home, and a nearly-eight-hour standoff ensued.

Then-Police Chief John Barber said in a following news conference that Barkley "surrendered peacefully" at 9:43 a.m. after a negotiator contacted Barkley, via a robot inserted into the residence.

On the scene of the standoff were Ithaca Police Department, Tompkins County Sheriffs Department, New York State Police, Cayuga Heights Police Department, New York State Park Police, New York State Police Aviation Unit, Ithaca SWAT, Syracuse Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Onondaga Sheriffs Office, Tompkins County Department of Emergency Response, Syracuse Police Department and the Tompkins County District Attorneys Office.

Barkley said during his arraignment later that month that he believed he was shooting then-President-elect Donald Trump. Though Barkley was pleading guilty to murder at the time, Judge Rowley did not accept his plea after, and ordered Barkley have a mental examination.

What followed in the next year was a series of mental examinations and back-and-forth debate on Barkley's competency to stand trial. Eventually, in a court appearance in March 2017, Rowley made the final ruling that Barkley was mentally competent to appear in court.

"We have to recognize that the defendant’s mental health played a major role in what took place," Van Houten said. "The acknowledgement by the defendant that he acted intentionally, together with the extensive investigation we conducted, including a full psychiatric evaluation by our own expert, support the conclusion that the defendant was suffering from what New York State law recognizes as an extreme emotional disturbance."

Barkley's defense attorney Peter Dumas did not immediately respond to request for comment.

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