Man lures 25-year-old to a cookout, then kills him with shovel, Alabama officials say

Olivia Lloyd
·2 min read
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Morgan Barnhill invited a man to his home for a barbecue, then beat him to death with a shovel and told police he was breaking in, Alabama officials said.

Now, he’s pleaded guilty to a murder charge in the death of 25-year-old Etienne Murray, the Mobile County District Attorney announced Feb. 6 in a news release.

McClatchy News could not immediately locate information on an attorney who could comment on Barnhill’s behalf.

Barnhill, who was 27 at the time, “intentionally misled officers” in the March 2022 incident, the Mobile Police Department said. He called the police and reported an unknown man was trying to break into his shed.

But prosecutors said Barnhill “lured” his acquaintance to his home. When Murray arrived, Barnhill hit him in the back of the head with a shovel, then continued beating him with the shovel and a two-by-four, prosecutors said.

Barnhill tied him up and dragged him “severely injured and unconscious” to the backyard, Mobile County officials said. Murray was taken to a hospital, where he died April 1, 2022.

When Mobile police realized Barnhill had made a false report, they said they began investigating the incident as a homicide.

Barnhill was later indicted on a murder charge.

“Whether he has a record or not, he planned to and intentionally murdered my child,” Murray’s mother told WKRG in November 2022. “I pray his karma is swift and extremely brutal.”

Prosecutors said Barnhill didn’t call the police for hours after the beating, AL.com reported. Police responded to his home at around 3:30 a.m. on March 29.

“We are pleased that Mr. Barnhill admitted to the brutal crime for which he was indicted by a Mobile County Grand Jury,” District Attorney Keith Blackwood said in the release from his office. “This has been extremely hard on the victim’s family, and we hope this justice provides some closure to them.”

Barnhill will be sentenced March 4.

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