Updated 3:34 p.m. Oct. 15
KINGWOOD — A second person has been charged in the 2019 murder of Phillip “Bucky” Barlow.
A warrant was issued for Laura Lynn Martin of Tunnelton on Thursday, charging her with first-degree murder. Martin, who was already being held in jail in Garrett County, Md., on burglary and theft charges, is awaiting extradition.
Last week Preston Sheriff’s deputies charged Robert Joseph Quinn, 43, of Tunnelton, with first-degree murder in the case. He remains in the Tygart Valley Regional Jail without bond.
Magistrates cannot set bond in murder cases. That falls to the county circuit judge.
A search began when Barlow, 61, of Tunnelton, failed to arrive for work May 29, 2019, in Kingwood. His truck was found on fire the same morning near Showerbath Road, Kingwood.
Over the following days hundreds of family, friends and volunteers searched for Barlow. His body was found in June 2019 near Fortney’s Mill by hunters training their dogs.
According to the criminal complaint for Quinn, through the course of the investigation, deputies noticed “a number of discrepancies in statements and odd behaviors by Mr. Robert Quinn and his live-in girlfriend [name redacted].” Quinn lived next to Barlow, according to police.
Preston Chief Deputy Paul “Moe” Pritt said Thursday the redacted name is Martin.
“A search warrant of their residence revealed letters written between the two while she was incarcerated in which it appears Mr. Barlow was mentioned,” the complaint says.
On Oct. 7, deputies obtained a statement from a witness who reported the person whose name was redacted in the complaint had admitted she and Quinn tried to rob Barlow and murdered him.
On Oct. 9, Capt. T.N. Tichnell interviewed Quinn while he was in the Garrett County (Md.) jail on an unrelated incident.
“Mr. Quinn waived his Miranda rights and eventually admitted that he and [name redacted] had murdered Mr. Barlow,” because they had heard he had “a large sum of cash.”
They attacked Barlow in his home, took him in his truck to the Fortney’s Mill bridge, walked him under the bridge and “inflicted the throat laceration,” according to the criminal complaint. Then Quinn took Barlow’s truck to Kingwood, where they tried to burn it.
Captain Tichnell was able to corroborate Quinn’s story because he knew details about specific injuries, location where evidence was destroyed and the route traveled that only the killers would have known, according to the complaint.
Pritt said the investigation never stopped. The sheriff’s department devoted two officers full-time to the investigation for more than a year, he said.
But, “everybody has had a part in this investigation, and several of the state police officers, the fire marshal’s office, the prosecutor’s office, outside agencies. Obviously the Garrett County police,” Pritt said.
While Preston County is large, it’s also a small community in many ways, the chief said.
“Something like this can affect anybody and everybody, and it did affect virtually anybody and everybody,” he said.
Anyone with further information regarding the case is asked to call Capt. T.N. Tichnell or Pritt at the Preston Sheriff’s Office, 304-329-1611.
TWEET@DominionPostWV
KINGWOOD— A second person has been charged in the 2019 murder of Phillip “Bucky” Barlow.
A warrant was issued for Laura Martin of Tunnelton on Thursday, charging her with first-degree murder. Martin, who was already being held in the jail in Garrett County, Md., is awaiting extradition.
Last week Preston Sheriff’s Deputies charged Robert Joseph Quinn, 43, of Tunnelton, with first-degree murder in the case. He remains in the Tygart Valley Regional Jail without bond.
Magistrates cannot set bond in murder cases. That falls to the county circuit judge.
A search for Barlow began when Barlow, 61, of Tunnelton, failed to arrive for work May 29, 2019. His truck was found on fire the same morning near Showerbath Road, Kingwood.
Over the coming days hundreds of family, friends and volunteers searched for Barlow. His body was found in June 2019 near Fortney’s Mill by hunters training their dogs.
Preston Chief Deputy Paul “Moe” Pritt said “the motive appeared to be robbery,” for the murder.
Pritt said the investigation never stopped. The sheriff’s department devoted two officers full-time to the investigation for more than a year, he said.
“Everybody has had a part in the investigation, and several of the state police had a part in it. The fire marshal was part of it. The prosecutor’s office was part of it. Outside agencies and obviously the Garrett County police,” Pritt said.
TWEET@DominionPostWV
