6/19/06 Page 4
CourtTVNews (www.courttv.com) has issued the following report from Harriet Ryan Did Justin Barber turn to a GUNS N' ROSES tune to work up the nerve to murder his wife? Prosecutors suggested as much at the business analyst's capital trial Wednesday when they played a recording of the band's 1988 track 'Used To Love Her' for jurors. The song, in which a man brags about killing his mate, was downloaded to Barber's computer just five hours before his 27-year-old wife, April, was shot dead on a deserted beach. Barber, 33, claims a mugger attacked the couple as they strolled along the water, shooting his wife in the head and him four times in the upper body. At the defense table, Justin Barber scribbled on a notepad while his defense lawyer, Robert Willis, shook his head and bounced in his chair to the music. On cross-examination, the analyst, Christopher Hendry, acknowledged that he could not say whether Barber listened to 'Used To Love Her' the night of the murder or merely downloaded it. The lawyer questioned him about other music on the computer and Hendry, who works at the state crime laboratory, said he found almost 1,700 songs on his hard drive, including 16 that were downloaded the evening April Barber was killed. Those songs included another Guns N' Roses song 'November Rain' as well as 'I'm Movin' On' by the country band RASCAL FLATTS and 'I'm So Excited' by the POINTER SISTERS. Under further questioning by Assistant State's Attorney Matt Foxman, Hendry noted that 'Used To Love Her' was the only song deleted after the murder. The analyst also told jurors he found an undated search for "Florida divorce." Also Wednesday, jurors viewed a three-hour videotaped deposition Barber gave in a civil suit filed by his wife's relatives. In it, Barber insisted that at the time of the murder, he was under the impression that his wife's $2 million life insurance policy had lapsed because he had stopped paying the premiums. Barber also acknowledged affairs with five women, including two co-workers and two women he met in bars. He said April Barber never learned about his infidelities and said he and his wife had a good relationship despite maintaining residences in different cities. "It was a normal marriage. We had our ups and downs," he said. Testimony continues Thursday morning. The trial is being shown live in Court TV Extra. (HardRadio editors note: 'I Used To Love Her' is actually about euthanizing a pet)
A man convicted of killing a call girl who was once married to former KISS guitarist VINNIE VINCENT had his appeal rejected Wednesday by the state Appellate Court. Gregory McArthur, formerly of Hartford, maintained that two drug dealers were probably responsible for the slaying of AnnMarie Cusano in 1998. On appeal, he argued there was not enough evidence to justify his manslaughter conviction, and that a judge improperly barred statements about one of the drug dealers from closing arguments. But the court found there was sufficient evidence, including a taped confession and testimony that McArthur led police to Cusano's remains, to convict him of manslaughter. According to the tape, Cusano - who usually served wealthy customers - told McArthur she wasn't comfortable staying with him at a Hartford boarding house. McArthur said the two argued because she wanted to leave and she refused to take his money. He said there was a struggle, and at one point he held Cusano in a headlock. When he let go, he said, she collapsed and was no longer breathing. A witness testified McArthur traded Cusano's car for crack cocaine, and took from her purse $30, a bank card, and an American Express card belonging to Vincent, the one-time KISS guitarist whose real name is Vincent Cusano. He and AnnMarie Cusano were briefly married in the 1980s.
