“Incredibly Dangerous” Gets 40-to-Life Sentence
Santa Barbara – Kenneth Barber, 42, who in 2008 was held in Santa Barbara County Jail on drug charges following a prior “strike” conviction and prison term for mayhem, was sentenced on August 27th by Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge Frank Ochoa to a term of 40 years to life pursuant to a pair of violent attacks on fellow inmates.
While in custody, Barber resided in an area of Santa Barbara County Jail reserved for hardcore, seasoned inmates. Testimony at his trial pointed to a violent incident evolving from a session of physical workouts in concert with fellow inmates. But when Barber perceived a display of personal disrespect from one of his workout partners, Barber feigned friendship with the other inmate in order to gain physical proximity to him, whereupon he set upon the man with a violent “shiv” attack to the neck, face, and head. Immediately thereafter, he attacked another nearby inmate and sent both men to the hospital with serious injuries.
During his trial on those assault charges, Barber appeared in court clean shaven, well-coiffed, and dressed in coat and tie. Following a conviction on evidence that he had attempted to kill two fellow inmates in SBCO Jail, Barber appeared for sentencing with shaved head, and visible scalp and neck tattoos supporting prosecution assertions that the defendant is, in fact, a member of a white supremacist prison gang.
“He’s…an incredibly dangerous person,” Assistant District Attorney Kimberly Smith commented in court prior to sentencing, suggesting that Barber had repeatedly attempted to intimidate witnesses and their families via coded messages transmitted to his contacts within the Aryan Brotherhood. “He absolutely deserves to spend the rest of his life in prison,” Smith declared to Ochoa.
Apparently, the judge agreed, allowing Barber’s previous strike conviction to double the current pair of attempted murder sentences with additional enhancements adding up to a minimum of 40 years in state prison.
Photos: Courtesy Bob McCullough
Read more:
Santa Barbara Independent: Kenneth Barber Back on Trial
Santa Barbara Independent: Alleged White Supremacist Found Guilty in Jailhouse Stabbings
Santa Barbara Independent: Alleged White Supremacist Sentenced to 40 Years to Life
