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North Carolina man convicted of Roanoke murder granted clemency by President Joe Biden

Aquilia Barnette will have his death sentence commuted to life in prison without parole

Aquilia Barnette was sentenced to the death penalty for a 1996 murder of a Roanoke woman. He was one of 37 inmates on federal death row granted clemency by President Joe Biden. (WSLS)

ROANOKE, Va. – A North Carolina man convicted of the 1996 murder of his ex-girlfriend in Roanoke and the murder of another man in Charlotte, North Carolina, had his death sentence commuted by President Joe Biden on Monday.

Aquilia Marcivicci Barnette was just one of 37 federal inmates who got their death sentences commuted by the President, according to The White House Office.

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He will now spend life behind bars without the possibility of parole.

According to court documents, Barnette shot and killed 23-year-old Robin Williams in Roanoke and 22-year-old Donald Allen in Charlotte.

Barnette began dating Williams in 1994 until 1996 when Williams broke off their relationship, according to court documents. Barnette made several attempts to reconcile with Williams. On April 30, 1996, he went to her apartment, smashed the windows of her car, and threw a fire bomb into the apartment.

Williams survived, but suffered second- and third-degree burns on her arms and hands. After the incident, Williams moved in with her mother, Bertha Williams.

Court records detail that Barnette traveled back to Charlotte and was able to purchase a semi-automatic shotgun. On June 21, 1996, he carjacked Donald Allen, stole his wallet, and shot and killed him.

Barnette then drove the stolen vehicle to Roanoke, where Williams was living with her mother. Barnette fatally shot Williams after chasing her into the street.

Barnette turned himself in after traveling back to Charlotte four days later and was charged and convicted in the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina on 11 counts stemming from these activities. He was sentenced to death under the Federal Death Penalty Act.


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Duncan Weigand joined WSLS 10’s digital team in June 2024, weeks after graduating from Virginia Tech with a bachelor’s in communication studying multimedia journalism and a cognate in marketing.

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You can watch Lindsey during Virginia Today every weekend or as a reporter during the week!