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- [00:01]
Debra Roberts
This episode is brought to you by Shopify.
- [00:04]
Brad Milke
Do you have a point of sale system you can trust, or is it a real pos?
- [00:10]
Debra Roberts
You need Shopify for retail.
- [00:13]
Brad Milke
From accepting payments to managing inventory, Shopify POS has everything you need to sell in person. Go to shopify.comsystem, all lowercase, to take your retail business to the next level. That's shopify.com system.
- [00:32]
Debra Roberts
Hey, there, 2020 listeners. This week we're going to be bringing you episode three of Death in the Dorms, Season two, a true crime series. From ABC News studios, today we'll hear the story of Marlon Barnes, a linebacker at the University of Miami, and his childhood friend Timwanika Lumpkins, whose visit to campus unraveled into a night of shocking events that nobody saw coming.
- [01:04]
Brad Milke
Miami in the 90s. This is the time of hurricanes football.
- [01:12]
Charlie Mae
He told me he was gonna go to UM and he was gonna play football. Saturday morning, April 13th, I started paging him, and I just kept paging him, and he never called me.
- [01:29]
Earl Little
He had to survive a lot to get to UM for that to happen to him on campus. It was like, that can't be true.
- [01:39]
Charlie Mae
Everybody's scared. Nobody knows how it happened, why it happened.
- [01:45]
Earl Little
The death of Marlon Barnes really rocked this program.
- [01:49]
Debra Roberts
This was not a robbery. Somebody meant to kill the person.
- [01:54]
Brad Milke
He has been brutally beaten. He's almost unrecognizable.
- [02:04]
Charlie Mae
I just couldn't put it together. He was not that kind of person. Where he would make someone want to hurt him.
- [02:16]
Debra Roberts
Who committed this bloody double murder.
- [02:33]
Earl Little
I don't know the destination and on foot's my mode of transportation. So if I'm not striding toward better, then tell me what the purpose is. I feel a breakthrough coming over that nervousness.
- [02:44]
Charlie Mae
I need Pepto as I take chances.
- [02:46]
Earl Little
Klepto finder of the past and the future at present. But never step back unless I'm rocking retros. Cause second chances, you don't always get those. Cause second chances, you don't always get those.
- [03:07]
Charlie Mae
When I was 16, I got pregnant with Marlon. I got my GED because I had a second child while I was in high school. And a couple events happened. Marlon was 2 years old at the time. Gary was 10 months when their dad was murdered. Marlon's dad got into a fight, and his friend pulled out a gun and he shot him in the chest twice.
- [04:23]
Earl Little
This is Libra city area right here.
- [04:35]
Charlie Mae
It's not easy raising your children in government housing projects. To keep my kids safe, I usually encourage them to have their friends come to our house. Marlon Was a happy child. He had a lot of friends. The kids, they felt safe. I think, you know, being in my.
- [04:58]
Earl Little
Home, Marlon's house, was another atmosphere for us, and you know what I'm saying. But the volume was higher.
- [05:10]
Charlie Mae
One morning I made breakfast, and I called out to the kids to come down to eat. And I had about 15 kids come down after that. I would check the rooms, and I would make enough food so that everybody could eat.
- [05:30]
Earl Little
It was just amazing to me because she was a single parent, but you never could see if she was struggling. Charlie always kept a positive attitude, Always told us about doing the right thing. Marlon was every bit of Charlie, you know, he was every bit of her. Marlon used to come to my house and lead the prayer like it was like he read the bible volunteers. He was different. No matter what, he always had a good heart, you know, far as helping people.
- [06:14]
Charlie Mae
When marlon was a little boy, he loved football. He would play football on the streets, like with the other kids. As a child, Marlon always wanted to go to college.
- [06:31]
Earl Little
I met him when we were probably at the age of 11 or 12. He was already talking about the university of miami.
- [06:38]
Charlie Mae
And he told me that he was gonna go to, um and he was gonna play football.
- [06:45]
Earl Little
He loved the university of miami. We both loved the university of miami. We watched.
- [06:56]
Brad Milke
Miami in the 90s. This is the time of hurricanes football. They had a legacy, ongoing since the 80s, of being just one of the top programs in the nation.
- [07:11]
Earl Little
In Miami, football was like the bullet. We know we had to aim at this to get us out of here. He was determined to get out the hood, man. And when I seen that I had so much respect for him.
- [07:29]
Charlie Mae
I had to actually end up working a second full time job to save the money Because I did not want to stay in government housing with my children. I wanted better for them, and they deserved better. I gave it my all. Marlon was probably 17 when we bought our house and we moved to Miami gardens. You know, the neighborhoods that we came from, they were dangerous neighborhoods, but we survived them. We came through them. And my kids, they thrived. Towards the ending of high school, he never went on any other school visits, Just the university of miami. So he was just that confident when he started taking the exams, the ACTs, he actually took that exam maybe about seven or eight times. He couldn't get the scores that he needed to get into the university of Miami. And so one of his coaches from north miami senior high suggested that he goes to a military school so that he can learn to study and get his grades up. And Marlon went to Hargrave Military Academy, which is in Chatham, Virginia.
- [08:56]
Earl Little
Marlon was military minded, man. That didn't faze him that night. Just added to his arsenal.
- [09:04]
Charlie Mae
He got his grades, he got the score when he took the exam. Because of his athletic ability, he was offered the scholarship to play at the University of Miami. Marlon was the first child in our family period to go to college. You know, everybody was proud and he was the happiest kid on earth. Marlon grew up with Earl Little. They met I think when they were like maybe in second grade and they were best friends. They were like inseparable. The plan was that Earl and Marlon were gonna go to University of Miami together.
- [10:00]
Earl Little
That was like a dream come true when early Marlon went to UM and and I came at the same time.
- [10:13]
Watisha Wallace
UM used to be referred to as Suntan U. We're the Hurricanes, but we just call ourselves the Canes for short. UM is always in the public eye because of the money and the lifestyle and the year round summer, especially now with social media and TikTok stars like Alex Earle. We do this for the U and it's very, very specific that you have to go like this. You are going to every single cane at a football game. And a lot of times these once underprivileged kids will find themselves becoming public figures and almost superstars to a degree. At UM UM actually plays at the Hard Rock Stadium, which is very much well known for being the home of the Miami Dolphins and NFL team. It is a tradition to schlep up over to the Hard Rock Stadium and everybody is decked out in cane gear, in orange and green, cold as ice.
- [11:31]
Earl Little
Found in the Everglades. Ice cold. You know, the stuff they found in my veins, I spit it high livid. They put me in the cage. The steel, the brick and mortar couldn't capture the raid.
- [11:41]
Watisha Wallace
Marlon Barnes was a very well known linebacker.
- [11:45]
Ray Lewis
And that stop made by Marlon Barnes.
- [11:56]
Charlie Mae
Nice cut up by Phillips.
- [11:59]
Ray Lewis
Miami pursuit recovers still a gain of about five before Davis and Lewis converge.
- [12:08]
Charlie Mae
Marlon met Ray Lewis when he came to play at the University of Miami in his third year. Marlon, Earl, Ray Lewis and another young man lived in one of the housing complexes on the UM campus. Marlon was working towards getting his liberal arts and science degree. I would go over to the University of Miami to watch him practice. And then after practice we would, you know, spend a little time together and Talk. Saturday morning, April 13th, I got a phone call from one of Marlon's ex girlfriend's mother. She asked me about Marlon and I told her I said, well, Marlon's at school. And then the next phone call that I got was from Nate Brooks mother. She asked me where Marlon was and I said, marlon's at school. And it was like she wanted to tell me something, but she didn't. And I started, you know, having these weird feelings and I started paging him and I just kept paging him and he never called me.
- [14:12]
Debra Roberts
Saturday morning, students at this on campus apartment building awoke to find the area cordoned off.
- [14:19]
Earl Little
The Metroidade police department is investigating a double homicide that occurred here today.
- [14:23]
Brad Milke
At this hour, there are more questions than answers.
- [14:27]
Earl Little
Basically what we want to know is how somebody can come up on a campus like this with security and get murdered like that.
- [14:46]
Brad Milke
Did you know that parents rank financial literacy as the number one most difficult life skill to teach? Meet Greenlight, the debit card and money app for families with greenlight. You can send money to kids quickly, set up chores automate allowance and keep an eye on your kids spending with real time notifications. Kids learn to earn, save and spend wisely. And parents can rest easy knowing their kids are learning about money. With guardrails in place, try Greenlight risk free today@greenlight.com Spotify if anyone can hear what I'm saying, please help us. We were attacked by some kind of animal.
- [15:22]
Ray Lewis
From the director of the Invisible man and Blumhouse producers of the Black Phone.
- [15:27]
Earl Little
My husband was infected.
- [15:29]
Charlie Mae
What is happening to me? Daddy, is that you?
- [15:34]
Brad Milke
Run.
- [15:35]
Charlie Mae
Hurry. Mommy, he's coming.
- [15:38]
Debra Roberts
Don't you lay a hand on her.
- [15:40]
Ray Lewis
Wolf Man Directed by leigh whannell under 17 admitted without parent only in theaters.
- [15:44]
Debra Roberts
January 17th the morning of April 13th, in 1996, the police and Carl Gables received a call from one of the University of Miami students by the name of Earl Little. Earl Little lived with Marlon Barnes.
- [16:16]
Brad Milke
Earl Little comes home and it's about 7:30 in the morning, but he cannot get in. There's something blocking the door. When he finally gets in, he sees what's blocking the door and it's Marlin. He has been brutally beaten. He's almost unrecognizable. Police officers arrive on the scene around 7:30 to 7:35. So one of the officers goes through the apartment, clearing the rooms, and in one of the bedrooms he comes across a second victim, a woman. She is partially underneath the bed as if she had been drug out from underneath it before being attacked. Just like Marlin, she had been brutally beaten.
- [17:14]
Debra Roberts
Marlon is declared dead at the scene. When fire and rescue go into the room where the female is, she's still breathing, they call air rescue to take her to the closest hospital. They were able to identify her, however, at that time, as Tim Waneeka Lumpkins. In Miami Dade County. The Miami Dade police department homicide unit handles all homicides. Sergeant Tom Rahmani was on call, and he took it from there. When you went inside, it was clear that this has been a brutal, brutal homicide. The blood had spattered up to the ceiling to the walls. There's wood splinters that appear to come from something that whoever it was hit Marlon over the head with. And also there was an unshot shotgun shell that was on the ground near the body.
- [18:25]
Brad Milke
In Marlon's pocket, they found cash, and he still had on his chain around his neck.
- [18:30]
Debra Roberts
It appeared to the police, based on their experience, this was not a robbery. Somebody meant to kill the person. Earl Little was questioned, and he tells them that he had lent Marlon the car, his truck, the night before. There was some party in Miami beach, and he was coming to get his keys, and when he walked through the parking lot, he saw his truck, which was sort of leaning on its side.
- [19:01]
Brad Milke
Outside, they searched Earl's car, where they found puncture marks in the tires as if they had deliberately been slashed.
- [19:23]
Charlie Mae
Once we got over to the UM campus, I saw Marlon's linebacker coach, Randy Shannon, and I asked him if it was true what I heard, and he said yes. And then I just lost it. I was just baffled. I was sitting there thinking, who would want to hurt him because he was not that kind of person where.
- [20:02]
Debra Roberts
You.
- [20:02]
Charlie Mae
Know, he would make someone want to hurt him, let alone take his life.
- [20:15]
Earl Little
Well, I heard it from my mother, to be honest. I didn't even hear what my mother said When I asked her how. I remember hanging up the phone, and I was just. And I remember later asking what happened? And she said that, I told you already. Brace yourself. You made it off in the hood One minute get faded? Cause I done been through it all But I ain't fed up. It's best you start from the bottom before you head up. Hearing it, it was like, damn, man. Like he had done, you know, survived a lot, you know what I'm saying? To get to, UM, for that to happen to him on campus, it was like, damn, that can't be true. Coming from the project, it's like a blessing and a curse. We know a lot of people going to die, a lot of people going to go to prison, and some of us going to make it. But when Marlon got murdered, everything just was tough.
- [21:39]
Watisha Wallace
UM is a virtually pretty safe campus. The incident brought A lot of panic to students.
- [21:50]
Debra Roberts
A packed room at the student union tonight filled with shaken students and their concerns.
- [21:56]
Earl Little
A terrible crime has happened on this campus, and we can't deny that everybody's scared.
- [22:02]
Charlie Mae
Nobody knows how it happened, why it happened.
- [22:05]
Watisha Wallace
There was a lot of heartache and a lot of confusion as to why something this violent would happen to two people.
- [22:15]
Debra Roberts
The case was, like, all over the place. I mean, tv, radio, they were talking about the case.
- [22:22]
Brad Milke
The woman found blood inside this campus.
- [22:25]
Debra Roberts
Apartment, died on her way to Jackson Memorial Hospital. Her name is Tim Waanika Lumpkins.
- [22:33]
Watisha Wallace
Tim Wanika Lumpkins. She was a longtime friend of Marlon's. She was not somebody who went to school at um. They had known each other when they were kids.
- [22:46]
Debra Roberts
They were good friends in high school. They played basketball a lot together, and they continued that friendship through till the the 1990s.
- [22:56]
Charlie Mae
Timwanika attended North Miami Senior High School, where Marlon went. They were friends. Once I came home from work and Tim Wanneka was there with him, but she was pregnant. And when I saw her, I thought that she was pregnant from Marlon, and I kind of panicked. At that time. We called her T for short. And I asked him, is T your girlfriend? And he said no. He said he didn't have a girlfriend, and it was not his baby.
- [23:33]
Watisha Wallace
She was beautiful. She was smart, intelligent. At the time of her death, she was a single mother. She had a daughter.
- [23:42]
Debra Roberts
Police notified her grandmother this afternoon.
- [23:45]
Charlie Mae
I said, y'all got the wrong person. I said, now that's not a little bit. I hope they find who did this.
- [23:50]
Debra Roberts
And I hope they do.
- [23:51]
Charlie Mae
I hope justice prevails.
- [24:02]
Brad Milke
Investigators really needed to piece together what happened that night and which one of them was being targeted.
- [24:09]
Debra Roberts
The first thing that was suggested was that they call all of the players and bring them in and explain what had happened and see if they knew anything.
- [24:37]
Brad Milke
Through meaning with Marlon's teammates, they found out that on the night of Friday, April 12, 1996, Marlon was invited to attend a VIP party at Salvation Club being hosted by a Dolphins football player, and he invited Tim Wanneka Lumpkins to join him. They went to the club alone, driving Earl Little's car that Marlon had asked to borrow. Also at the party, they linked up with with Chewbacca, who was a teammate of Marlon's, and then they all left together. But when they got outside, they found that the tires of Earl's car had been slashed. Chewbacca got a ride home with a friend, and Marlon and Timwanika waited for a tow truck to come and pick them up.
- [25:28]
Debra Roberts
One of the things that came up when talking to the team was that Tim Waneka had been the girlfriend of somebody by the name of LeBron Dennis.
- [25:40]
Brad Milke
LeBron and Tim Wanika had actually been living together up until about a week prior to the crime taking place.
- [25:50]
Debra Roberts
That gave a direction to this case. So Detective Rahmani was at the school and then somebody told him that LeBron Dennis, whose name had come up when they met with the football players, had showed up at his office.
- [26:10]
Ray Lewis
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- [27:16]
Brad Milke
The fact that LeBron Dennis showed up on his own to be interviewed by police was very interesting. It's something that you typically don't see.
- [27:26]
Debra Roberts
Detective Bramani had a court reporter come in and he took a statement from LeBron Dennis asking him did he know anything about the deaths of these two people. He basically said, I didn't have anything to do with it. I lived with her, I loved her. We have a baby together.
- [27:47]
Brad Milke
Lebron told investigators that LeBron and Timonika had been on and off for five years, but they had a three year old daughter together. That a week prior to the crime taking place, Tim Wanneka had moved out because she had come home late after what he believed was hanging out with Marlon Barnes and a fight broke out. So she moved out, taking her daughter to her grandmother's house. LeBron was extremely cooperative with the investigators and willing to get still photos of his arms and his face to prove that he had no injuries. He was even willing to give them any information that they needed in regards to his car and where he was that night.
- [28:40]
Debra Roberts
He said that first he went to a bachelor party at, like, 11:30 at night. Later on, he went down to the same party where Marlon and Tawanika were. He doesn't see them there. He stays there a while, and then he comes home and goes to sleep.
- [29:03]
Charlie Mae
I actually worked with Lebrant Dennis at Doral Golf Resort and Spa. Shared an interest as far as UN football, and sometimes we would sit at the same table in the cafeteria. I knew that Lebrant and Timwanika were a couple, and I knew that Marlon and Timwanika were friends, but I never thought of it being any issues between any of them whatsoever.
- [29:47]
Brad Milke
LeBron was a person of interest because of the relationship that he had with Tim Wanneka, and they shared a daughter. But he was very open with investigators, and he was able to have his alibi confirmed by not only his friends, but his roommate.
- [30:01]
Debra Roberts
So Detective Rahmani really had no legal basis to keep him based on what he knew. It became important to go around the area at Club Salvation and see if there were anybody working that may have seen any of them there at that time.
- [30:27]
Brad Milke
After canvassing the surrounding area, investigators met with a gas station attendant at an AMCO that was just blocks away from Club Salvation. In the early morning hours of April 13, the gas station attendant saw a gray Nissan in the parking lot of her gas station with a man inside of it.
- [30:49]
Debra Roberts
He was just sitting in the car for hours. He was covering his face so you couldn't see his face. She did notice there was no tag on the back of the car, and she told him he had to leave. He did not leave. So she called the police, and they showed up and he took off, and then the police left and he came back again. At some point, he started walking away, and she saw him go towards the Ford Explorer. When Marlon and Tim Waneeka got into the tow truck and they loaded the car, she noticed that the guy in the gray Nissan at the same time left the area.
- [31:52]
Brad Milke
According to the tow truck driver, he dropped them off at Marlon's apartment between 5:30 and 6:30am.
- [32:02]
Debra Roberts
It became clear that the cars were an issue in this case and maybe would lead us to who was the person who had killed Marlon and Tiwanika.
- [32:12]
Brad Milke
There were no defined suspects however, the only person that killed kept coming up was Lebron Dennis.
- [32:25]
Debra Roberts
The gas station attendant in this case was very helpful witness. The detectives showed her a picture of LeBron Dennis car and she said, no, that's not the car that was there.
- [32:41]
Brad Milke
This gray Nissan was something that was important to the case, but this was going to prove to be a very challenging lead to see through.
- [32:57]
Charlie Mae
There was a lot of media coverage surrounding the deaths of Marlon and Tamwanyka. We have suffered an unspeakable tragedy on this campus.
- [33:08]
Ray Lewis
Enormous sadness for this university family.
- [33:11]
Brad Milke
They all showed up and eager to take their first look at the UN campus. But what these visiting freshmen, parents and transfers didn't bargain for was a visit to a campus where just yesterday two people were beaten to death.
- [33:24]
Charlie Mae
Next year, I'm moving into the apartment area and my mother's really concerned about whether something like this can happen to me.
- [33:31]
Ray Lewis
Tell all your friends there's blood on the streets.
- [33:37]
Charlie Mae
Word had gotten around very quickly and I just couldn't talk to anybody. I just. I couldn't deal at that point. When the detectives came to my home, they wanted to know, like, if Marlon had any enemies, if he had gotten into any fights or arguments. Did I know of? And the answer was no. There was nothing I could tell them because Marlon was. He was a great kid.
- [34:13]
Earl Little
Marlon was a positive guy in the community. He ain't stand for the violence. He wasn't for violence.
- [34:20]
Charlie Mae
I couldn't think of anyone that would have wanted to bring him any harm whatsoever.
- [34:35]
Brad Milke
Investigators did as much legwork as they possibly could when it came to finding their suspect. And this gray Nissan, a friend of Marlon's from Scott's project explained to investigators something that they had not heard before, and it was the fact that Marlon was involved in the Right Track Foundation. The purpose of the Right Track was to inspire children from low income areas such as Scott's project where Marlon grew up, to leave the gangs behind and not break down in fear giving into these gangs that were recruiting them.
- [35:19]
Charlie Mae
When Marlon and Earl and these kids when they were in college, they came back to the community and they got these kids that, you know, they took under their wings to take them off the streets to, you know, keep them from getting in trouble and stuff like that.
- [35:35]
Earl Little
The Right track program had thousands of kids. They was joining them from Lincoln Field to old projects. It was real popular.
- [35:44]
Brad Milke
Investigators started questioning if this could have possibly pissed a lot of the gangs in the area off because this was their recruiting grounds. Was anyone angry about the fact that Marlon was there? Many of the gangs in the area actually had it as an initiation protocol that you would have to beat someone into a closed casket funeral.
- [36:12]
Earl Little
I told Ms. Charlie Mae how the gangs think, you know, one of the superior mobs would be a closed casting.
- [36:21]
Brad Milke
Whoever had done this was willing to get up close and personal with their victims and brutally attack them at a very close range. So investigators had to find a way to prove if this motive was true. Was there a gang member that had targeted Marlon and wanted him gone? Marlon Barnes was a linebacker for the University of Miami, beaten to death a week ago. He was only 22.
- [37:07]
Earl Little
The death of Marlon Barnes really rocked this program. Everything changed. We didn't know as a team what was going to happen.
- [37:31]
Ray Lewis
For every other guy we've seen drafted today, it really is a joyous day, and it is for Ray Lewis, but he really has been robbed of the opportunity to enjoy that. Today at 1:00 Eastern Time in North Miami, Ray attended the funeral of one of his former roommates, his close friend, Marlon Barnes.
- [37:49]
Brad Milke
Oh.
- [37:52]
Debra Roberts
Freedom.
- [37:59]
Brad Milke
In an outpouring of love, community members joined hands and came together to remember a son, a teammate, and a friend.
- [38:07]
Earl Little
Every time that I was down, he was always there to pick me up. My teammates and everyone else that knew.
- [38:17]
Brad Milke
More than a thousand family members and friends turned out today to show what kind of impact Marlon Barnes made on his community. Someone who will also be missed by many is 22 year old Timwanika Lumpkins, who was with Barnes when she was beaten to death. And for those students who have lingering questions about the campus murders, um has set up a rumor control hotline.
- [38:52]
Charlie Mae
For, you know, a few weeks. No one was arrested, you know, for their murders. And at that point, I'm still trying to figure out, like, why, why have I lost my kid?
- [39:18]
Debra Roberts
As the investigation continued, the police learned that somebody had set a gray Nissan on fire. That was the same description as the gas station attendant had given them.
- [39:34]
Brad Milke
Investigators took a photograph of the car and took it back to the gas station attendant who confirmed that this was the car she saw in the early morning hours of April 13.
- [39:53]
Debra Roberts
It turned out that it's registered to Watisha Wallace.
- [40:00]
Brad Milke
Investigators were able to track down Watisha Wallace, and they brought her in for an interview.
- [40:08]
Debra Roberts
So Watisha Wallace, who's had her car burned, she turned out to be a girlfriend of LeBron Dennis. Police became aware that Watisha had burned the car on purpose.
- [40:31]
Brad Milke
At this point, investigators had a positive ID on the car and the connection to LeBron with this car. And though they had somewhat of an Alibi it was confirmed by his roommate, which was actually his cousin Caroline. But it was not enough to take to trial. They needed some sort of forensic evidence that could tie LeBron Dennis to Marlon Barnes apartment.
- [41:04]
Debra Roberts
The police have a line that people can call in if they want to report something about any sort of crime. There was a person who reported to the tip line that LeBron Dennis was responsible for the murders of Tim Wanneeka and Marlon and she said that we should be talking to Joseph Stewart. Joseph Stewart knew LeBron Dennis.
- [41:39]
Charlie Mae
Joseph worked with me at Doral and LeBrant. Dennis also worked at the Doral Golf Resort and Spa.
- [41:51]
Debra Roberts
When they went to speak to Joseph Stewart, he said that he did not do anything to kill either one of those people. But he did give LeBron a shotgun that belonged to his mother.
- [42:09]
Brad Milke
April 7th was when he gave it to LeBron. It wasn't until April 13th that Joseph heard from LeBron again. Joseph receives a call from LeBron telling him that he had returned the shotgun to his mother's house in the bushes outside of the home. When Joseph picks up the bag, it is much heavier than it was when he gave it to LeBron. He opens it up and inside he finds a black hoodie, black sweatpants, black boots, a knife and the shotgun that is now extremely damaged. Joseph tells LeBron that he wants nothing to do with whatever he has done. According to Joseph, LeBron responds saying don't worry, they would never think to come here. I just had to do what I had to do and I didn't even drive my own car.
- [43:32]
Ray Lewis
If you have a locked AT and T phone, we're here with bolt cutters. T Mobile will help pay off your locked phone and give you a new 5G phone for free. All on America's largest 5G network. Visit t mobile.com carrierfreedom via virtual prepaid MasterCard in 15 days. Free phone up to $830 via 24 monthly bill credits plus tax and a $10 device connection charge. Qualifying port and trade in service on Go5G next and credit required. Contact us before canceling entire account to continue bill credits or credit stop and balance on required finance agreements, due bill credits and if you pay off devices.
- [44:01]
Charlie Mae
Early this episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. It's Brad Milke, host of ABC's Daily News podcast.
- [44:08]
Ray Lewis
Start Here.
- [44:09]
Charlie Mae
You chose to hit play on this podcast today. Smart Choice make another smart choice with Auto Quote Explorer to compare rates from multiple car insurance companies all at once. Try it@progressive.com Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates not available in all states or situations. Prices vary based on how you buy.
- [44:37]
Brad Milke
Investigators bring Joseph M. To be interviewed on April 29th. In this interview with Joseph, investigators ask him where he had dumped the shotgun and the knife that he gave to LeBron.
- [44:51]
Debra Roberts
He was able to show them where he threw them down in the sewers. So when the police got their divers to go down there, they found the gun and the duffel bag. That was huge in terms of moving forward with this investigation.
- [45:12]
Brad Milke
There were large chunks of wood missing. The trigger guard was gone.
- [45:21]
Debra Roberts
One of the most important pieces of evidence they found was an unshot shotgun shell that was on the ground near the body.
- [45:30]
Brad Milke
They discovered large splinters of wood and another piece of metal lying nearby. In addition to this, there was what looked to be a shotgun trigger guard.
- [45:44]
Debra Roberts
The police felt like they had enough to arrest LeBron Dennis.
- [46:01]
Brad Milke
The very next day. After recovering the murder weapon, investigators arrested LeBron Dennis for the murders of Tim Waneka Lumpkins and Marlon Barnes.
- [46:11]
Earl Little
Dennis.
- [46:11]
Charlie Mae
Yes, sir. Listen to me a moment. The public defenders. When Detective Romani called me and told me that it was Lebrant Dennis, I was surprised. I worked with this guy. I used to talk to him about my son. I just couldn't put it together. It was hard.
- [46:42]
Brad Milke
Through interviews with people that knew them, investigators were able to piece together a timeline of the weeks and days leading up to the murder.
- [46:53]
Debra Roberts
It started with Timonika came home late the day of Marlon's birthday. That was April 6th. And LeBron got angry with her and lost his temper. And then she moved out. She wasn't going to put up with his anger and how he treated her. And when she left, Marlon got all the boxes and stuff and was taking him to the grandmother because the grandmother was taking. Taking care of the little one.
- [47:24]
Brad Milke
LeBron believed that Tim Waneka had gone to stay with Marlon.
- [47:32]
Debra Roberts
It's Marlon, Marlon, Marlon. And he's lost control of himself. He went to salvation for that party. I think he waited for Marlon to come out. He just couldn't control himself. He slashed the tires, he followed the tow truck, and he sees the car, sees the building they get into. So he brought that shotgun. He knew they were on the third.
- [48:06]
Brad Milke
Floor when LeBron got inside. When the shotgun did not work, he was so committed to ending both Tim Winneca and Marlon's lives that night that he brutally beat their faces in with the butt of the shotgun so badly that he broke it.
- [48:37]
Charlie Mae
For my son or my children to help other people in an abusive relationship, that was like, it was the norm for them. To do that because that's how they grew up. When I was told that he moved her to get her out of the abusive relationship, I was not surprised because I had done the same thing for someone years before. In the media coverage, it was portrayed as though marlon and tamanika were a couple behind lebrant's back. They were friends, and he was lending a helping hand to someone that asked him for help. He did exactly what I would have done. And with that being said, he lost his life for it.
- [49:53]
Brad Milke
On May 8, LeBron Dennis was indicted for two counts of first degree murder, one count of burglary, assault and battery while armed, and criminal mischief. The district attorney determined that the murder of marlon Barnes and timwanika lumpkins was absolutely premeditated. Lebron Dennis contacted Joseph about retrieving a gun on April 7, which was days prior to the murder taking place.
- [50:37]
Charlie Mae
That was a very, very painful time for my family and me.
- [50:44]
Debra Roberts
When I did meet with Charlie, she was very, very upset. I told her, you know, we were going to have the best lawyers, the best witnesses, but no matter what happens to him, Marlon is still gone.
- [51:03]
Charlie Mae
Labrant Dennis took a lot from me. Not only did he take my son, but he took the life out of me for a very long time. And labrant Dennis needs to pay for that. The trial started. I was there every single day. My family was there every day.
- [51:41]
Earl Little
One thing about Charlie, she doesn't miss a court date.
- [51:49]
Charlie Mae
The trial was hard. I didn't look at any of the pictures. I didn't want to see them. You know, I listened, you know, to the testimony that everybody gave. His defense was that Joseph could have been the one that committed the murders because it was his shotgun. I mean, it was, you know, heart wrenching to hear that. I think the trial lasted five or six weeks, and then the jurors went out to deliberate. I put old mother in death. My heart.
- [52:35]
Debra Roberts
On October 28, 1998, the jury came back with a vote of guilty on all charges. Because this was a homicide case where the state was seeking the death penalty, there was a second phase called a.
- [52:49]
Brad Milke
Penalty phase, and the jury recommended the death penalty. An 11 to 1 vote.
- [52:58]
Debra Roberts
The courtroom exploded. He jumped up. He was furious. He was screaming. The corrections officers grabbed him.
- [53:12]
Charlie Mae
The verdict and the sentencing was justified. He got exactly what he deserved. The supreme court overturned the sentencing. In all death penalty cases, where the outcome is not 12 and 0, I felt like, okay, we're being murdered again. Lebrant chose to kill my kid. He nearly killed my family. But we survived. It we're going back to court to have the death penalty reinstated. That's what we're fighting for now. I don't want people to just dwell on the way my son passed because I do enough of that for everybody. I try to remember the person that he was, the happy person that he was.
- [54:46]
Earl Little
Each time that these guys even consider giving up, you know, they have to think about Marlon Barnes. The guy was just voted most improved football player on our team a couple weeks before he was murdered. Marlon was like a firecracker and no.
- [55:10]
Ray Lewis
Room that that stop made by Marlon Barnes.
- [55:17]
Earl Little
He's a hard worker and that's what we've been doing, working hard. And it's for him, put something down in history that says, this was dedicated to Marlon Barnes. A new star is at large straight from God. I know times are hard, but only you can save you. So what you gonna do with the life God gave you? He wanted to go to the NFL. I'm sure he would've went first round pick New York jets select Marlon Barnes. You know what I'm saying? Everybody would. Yeah, boy. You see what I'm saying? The world never get to see Marlon.
- [55:58]
Charlie Mae
What I would like to say to the parents out there, teach your kids the right way. I don't regret the fact that, you know, I taught my kids to care about other people. And it may have cost Marlon his life, but that was the choice that his killer made.
- [56:21]
Earl Little
Girls, jump in when I wanna and.
- [56:23]
Ray Lewis
Roll a double dutch breakdown beats from James Diggler.
- [56:26]
Earl Little
And now you double you could feel.
- [56:45]
Debra Roberts
This is Debra Roberts. Come back next week to hear the story of a first year student at Louisiana State University who searched for and brotherhood at his new school ultimately cost him his life. Death in the Dorms was produced by ABC News studios with the Intellectual Property Corporation. And yes, like a river for Hulu originals. You can find the entire series streaming on Hulu. And of course, tune in to ABC on Friday nights at 9 for all new broadcast episodes of 20 20. Thanks for listening.