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A grand jury indicted Kwacey Q. Owens, 29, on charges of first-degree murder, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose (second degree), unlawful possession of a weapon (second degree), and two counts of certain persons not to have weapons (second degree), according to Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina.
Officers responding to a report of a shooting around 1:30 a.m. on Oct. 8, 2020, at a home on Maplewick Lane in the township's Millbrook Park section found the body of Barry Barino outside the back door of his home, Coffina said.
He was pronounced dead at the scene by the Burlington County Medical Examiner’s office.
An autopsy performed by Burlington County Medical Examiner Dr. Ian Hood ruled that Barino’s death was caused by a gunshot wound to the head, authorities said.
An investigation revealed that Barino and Owens were acquaintances and that Owens had been inside Barino's home a short time before luring him outside to shoot him, Coffina said.
The weapon used in the shooting, a .45 caliber pistol, was recovered inside the home where Owens had been staying at the time, authorities said.
Since his arrest in October 2020, Owens has been held at the Burlington County Jail in Mount Holly.
An arraignment will be scheduled at a later date in Superior Court, Coffina said.
Owens is being prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutor Jamie Hutchinson.
The investigation was conducted by detectives from the Willingboro Township Police Department and the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office.
The lead investigators were Willingboro Detective Elijah Hart, BCPO Major Crimes Unit Detective Sergeant Tony Luyber and BCPO Detective Kevin Sobotka.
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