A Fort Walton Beach woman is on trial for allegedly shooting and killing her 5-month-old son in the parking lot of The Boardwalk on Okaloosa Island in March 2020.
- Maria Rodriguez-Barnes, 35, is charged with first-degree premeditated murder in the death of her infant son, Jaxxon Rodriguez-Barnes. The trial began this week in Okaloosa County Circuit Court with Judge John T. Brown presiding.
In her opening statement, Assistant State Attorney Michelle Sandler told jurors that the evidence will show Rodriguez-Barnes decided at least a day before the shooting to “take the life of her child” in response to her husband asking for a divorce.
“I’m sorry for what I’m about to do,” Rodriguez-Barnes allegedly said in her last phone conversation with her husband on March 25, 2020, before driving their son to The Boardwalk parking lot where her husband had proposed.
- There, she allegedly shot the infant once in the chest as he was strapped into the backseat of her truck.
Workers at The Boardwalk called 911 around 8:30 a.m. after seeing Rodriguez-Barnes shoot herself in the torso next to her vehicle. Deputies found Jaxxon slumped over in the truck’s backseat with a gunshot wound to the chest. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
A search of the truck revealed a 9mm handgun, shell casings, and handwritten notes, according to Sandler. She said Rodriguez-Barnes had also texted and emailed family members about her plans.
- “The evidence will show that this was a calculated and premeditated murder of a helpless 5-month-old infant,” Sandler told the jury on Tuesday.
Defense attorney Jason McKinney urged jurors to remain objective and hold the state to its burden of proving the charge beyond a reasonable doubt. He acknowledged the evidence will be graphic in nature.
- “Do not form any fixed or definite decisions as you view this evidence,” McKinney said. “Wait until the end.”
The trial continues on Wednesday, June 5, 2023.
