Letter to the Editor: Sabrina Barnes

This letter is in response to Mr. Nesbit's letter in the Jan. 9 R&L.

A mistake by the Tribune on Jan. 9 and then forwarded to the R&L Jan. 8 led Mr. Nesbit and others to believe that we (Mom, Dad and me) laid a deal on the district attorney's table. I want to make it perfectly clear that we (me, Mom and Dad) did not lay a deal of seven years on the DA's table; we simply asked for a deal that Misty could and would take. The DA offered the seven-year deal. If I had asked for a time, it would have been no time, but let me ask you, the fact that the DA laid a seven-year deal on the table for Misty, what does that say?

Why would the DA's office offer Misty a seven-year deal if they believed Misty was guilty of first-degree murder and had an open-and-shut case? Yes, Mr. Nesbit, I do have the right to my opinion and my freedom of speech, but if my letters tire you, you have the right and the freedom not to read them.

How about all the cases you read in which someone was convicted by a jury only later to be found innocent? When I say "innocent," referring to Misty, I mean innocent of hte charged she was convicted of. A jury is not always informed of all the truth and facts; some had already found Misty guilty before her trial. Yes, a jury did convict Misty, but through deceit and manipulation. I was there every single minute of every single day for three weeks and a day. Were you? I've lived this nightmare.

I have focused on the children each day for the past 28 months and will continue to for the rest of my life, but I want them to believe there is true justice, as their daddy did. I'll say it again: All I want is a fair trial for Misty. Everyone is entitled to that.

I wish I had no reason to be angry. I wish I'd wake up from this hellish nightmare and be able to hug my brother and tell him that I love him and miss him every waking moment. I wish I did not have to hear the unanswered cries of those babies for their momma and daddy. I wish Mom and Dad could once again hold their baby boy and Drey would have his little brother and best friend back. I wish we didn't haev to go to Glenwood Cemetery to talk or feel close to Quinn. I wish I could make everything all right, but I can't.

Yes, this is how I deal with things, because screaming for justice is all I can do. So when Misty gets a fair trial, then I will hush, and Quinn can finally be at peace. Quinn's memory will live as long as my heart continues to beat. When I look into the precious faces of his children, I see him.

When you start living my life, then you can tell me how to feel.

Sabrina Witherspoon Barnes
Mooresville