Jonathan Amerault is dead. He was 25.

Armando Barron of Jaffrey has been convicted for his murder, and convicted of a host of other charges, but the fact remains that Amerault is dead after he struck up a friendship with Armando Barron’s wife, Britany, a co-worker. Whatever turns that friendship may have taken, Amerault didn’t deserve to die because of it.

Armando and Britany Barron have three children. These children will go through life knowing that something awful happened involving their parents, something they may not completely understand right now, but which they certainly will when they get older. None of what’s happening is their fault, and they don’t deserve any of it, but this will be part of their lives forever.

Armando Barron has a mother and stepfather. Based on court testimony, he sometimes used their phones, including his stepfather’s phone on the night and early morning Amerault was killed. For as long as they live, they will carry the knowledge of what their son, the father of three of their grandchildren, did. They don’t deserve that.

Britany Barron committed crimes the night Amerault was killed. She pleaded guilty, in court, to falsifying evidence. She went to jail before receiving parole. But even as a free woman, she won’t be able to forget that a friendship she started with a co-worker resulted in her being beaten by her husband and her co-worker dying. She was there when it happened. And when her three children want to know more about what happened, she’s the one they’re likely to ask. 

Armando Barron deserves no sympathy, and he deserves to spend the rest of his life in prison. Why,  when confronted with his wife’s desire for a divorce and the possibility of her being in a relationship with a new man, did he choose to beat her, kill Amerault and ruin numerous lives, including his own? Of all the things he could have done, he chose the worst.

When following the ins and outs of court proceedings, it can be easy to forget that the case involves real people who will feel the ramifications, deserved or not, long after the judges and lawyers have gone to their next cases and we’ve all collectively gotten on with our lives.

There are no silver linings to this case. Jonathan Amerault is dead. He was 25.