The two separate trials tied to the September murder of Jonathan Amerault in Rindge are expected to occur before the end of the year, though there have already been several delays in the case due to COVID-19.
Armando Barron of Jaffrey has been charged with capital murder for allegedly shooting 25-year-old Jonathan Amerault of Keene after luring Amerault to Annett State Park in Rindge after discovering Amerault was in a relationship with his wife.
Armando’s wife, Britany Barron, has been charged with multiple counts of falsifying physical evidence for attempting to cover up the murder after the fact, including decapitating Amerault following his death to make his body more difficult to identify. Her attorney, Richard Guerriero, has alleged her participation was forced by her husband who beat her and threatened her with a gun, and that she only did as he directed out of fear for her life.
Britany Barron appeared at the Coos County Superior Court via teleconference on Monday morning in a dispositional conference to discuss scheduling for future court dates, including a date for a requested bail hearing.
Both Britany and Armando Barron have been held without bail since their arrests in September. Britany’s attorney has submitted a request that she be released on supervised bail, including electronic monitoring, court-approved housing and regular check-ins with court officials.
On Monday, the defense and prosecution met to discuss, among other issues, a potential timeline for bringing the case to trial, currently expected to occur in December of 2021.
Guerriero said the defense’s acceptance of that date was largely dependent upon the outcome of Britany’s request for bail. He argued that Britany remaining in jail without bail for more than a year would be “a far longer punishment” than she was likely to receive for conviction of Class B felonies.
“I just think I can’t agree to a December trial at this point,” Guerriero said, noting that if she were to be released on bail, the defense would agree to a later trial date, but if she were not, they would push for her right to a speedy trial.
The court agreed to schedule a hearing on the request for bail at some point after Feb. 8, to allow for the prosecution to file a response to Guerriero’s request for bail, but to hold the hearing as soon as practical following that date.
Several other benchmarks in the case may be delayed due to lab testing results due to complications from COVID-19.
Armando Barron’s capital murder case also may see trial by the end of the year, according to a scheduling proposal submitted by his public defenders, Meredith Lugo and Carrie Smith. Lugo and Smith proposed a trial date of Oct. 2021 for Armando Barron’s trial in the case. The prosecution has not yet filed a response to the proposed schedule.