A Jaffrey man accused of murdering Keene resident Jonathan Amerault in September of 2020 is scheduled for trial in April, and his wife was sentenced in October to 3 ½ to seven years in prison for her role in the crime.
Armando Barron and his wife Britany, of Jaffrey, were arrested and charged in 2020 with crimes related to the abduction, murder and disposal of Amerault’s remains. Britany Barron pleaded guilty to several charges related to her assistance with the coverup, with the option to be released on parole as early as this spring.
According to court documents, Britany Barron and Amerault were in a relationship, and when Armando Barron discovered it through texts on his wife’s phone, he allegedly beat her, choked her and threatened her with a gun. He then used Britany’s phone to lure Amerault to Annett State Park in Rindge, where he allegedly beat him, tried to force his wife to kill him, forced his wife to cut him with a machete and eventually forced Amerault into the back of his own vehicle before shooting him in the head.
Armando and Britany Barron allegedly transported Amerault’s body to a campsite in Coos County, and Britany was left alone with the remains. Allegedly at the behest of Armando Barron, she attempted to tamper with evidence by cleaning and hiding Amerault’s vehicle, removing Amerault’s head to make his body harder to identify and attempting to dispose of his body in a creek.
Britany Barron was arrested at the campsite after hunters reported suspicious behavior, and Fish and Game officers located Amerault’s vehicle and body. Armando Barron was later arrested in Jaffrey.
Armando Barron, who has been charged with capital murder, first-degree murder, criminal solicitation, kidnapping and multiple counts of assault and domestic violence, including reckless conduct with a deadly weapon, is expected to appear in court next year. The final pretrial preparation and arraignment on the charges is scheduled for April 22.
The charges against Britany Barron, which included falsifying evidence and abuse of a corpse, were resolved when she agreed to a plea deal this fall, pleading guilty to three counts of falsifying physical evidence. As part of her plea agreement, she agreed to testify against her husband in the upcoming trial against him, pay restitution to Amerault’s family and attend counseling.
Prior to her sentencing, Britany Barron had been held pending trial for more than a year, which is credited to her sentence, allowing her the possibility of parole in March.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.