Man accused murdering Darien shrimper out on bond

Mar. 11—The Jesup man accused by McIntosh County Sheriff's deputies of murdering a well-liked Darien shrimper is out on bond.

Justin Barett Barnard, 33, was granted bond during a hearing Thursday in Bryan County Superior County and posted it later that day for $165,200, according to records at the McIntosh County Detention Center.

The hearing was held in Bryan County because the judge was working there on Thursday. It is still a McIntosh County case.

A McIntosh County Sheriff's deputy testified about evidence in the case during the hearing that indicates Barnard was at the scene of the crime that night and that blood was found in his vehicle.

Witnesses called by defense attorneys testified that they did not know Barnard to be a violent man and that he works hard at the family's business.

Barnard was arrested Feb. 1 for allegedly beating to death Darien shrimper Neil Trutt, 51, on July 2, 2022, the same night the city held its annual Independence Day celebration.

Trutt was found fatally beaten and left for dead at the docks of Thompson Seafood at around 11 p.m. on the Darien waterfront by another fisherman who told deputies he was going to the dock to check on his boat. Fellow shrimpers believe Trutt had been living on his boat at the time.

Trutt was transported via ambulance to Southeast Georgia Health System's Brunswick hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Barnard faces charges of murder and aggravated assault. The McIntosh County Sheriff's Office is still awaiting autopsy results for Trutt from the GBI crime lab.