During a plea hearing Monday, a Jaffrey woman pleaded guilty to three counts of falsifying evidence in the murder of Keene resident Jonathan Amerault.
Britany Barron of Jaffrey was originally scheduled for a bail hearing on Monday in the Grafton Superior Court in North Haverhill, but last week, filed an intent to plead guilty on three of the five charges leveled against her, as part of a plea agreement.
Britany Barron’s husband, Armando Barron of Jaffrey, is accused of luring Amerault to Annett Wayside Park in Rindge and beating him before shooting him in the head, after he learned Amerault and Britany Barron were in a relationship, according to court documents. Britany Barron has admitted to police she was present during the murder and contributed to attempting to cover up the crime, but has maintained her parts in the crime were done under duress.
Britany Barron was originally charged with three counts of falsifying evidence and two counts of abuse of a corpse for actions she admitted to police she performed to cover up the murder of Amerault.
On Friday, Britany Barron’s counsel, Richard Guerriero, filed an intent to enter a plea of guilty to the three charges of falsifying physical evidence as part of a fully negotiated plea with the state.
On one of the falsifying physical evidence charges, the state agreed to the minimum sentence for Britany Barron, or three and a half years, with two years suspended. She will not serve that time, if she maintains good standing for five years from her release. She also will receive credit for time served since her arrest on Sept. 24, 2020.
In the plea agreement, the sentence for the other two charges of falsifying physical evidence, the three and a half to seven-year prison sentences are suspended for a period of 10 years from her release.
The state agreed not to pursue the charges of abuse of a corpse, or to seek any additional charges against Britany Barron stemming from the death of Amerault, based on the current information the state has related to his death.
Britany Barron has also agreed to comply with the state in the trial of Amerault’s murder, including providing statements and testimony in the prosecution of her husband, Armando Barron.
According to the plea, Britany Barron agreed to pay a portion of Amerault’s funeral expenses and for counseling for his family, as well as that she would not profit from the case.
Sentencing was not addressed during Monday’s hearing, which was just to accept Britany Barron’s plea. The court has the right to overturn the presented plea agreement and impose a more or less stringent sentence. A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for Oct. 6.
Armando Barron remains incarcerated on multiple counts, including capital murder, murder in the first degree, kidnapping, and multiple assault charges related to assaults both on Amerault and on Britany Barron.
In addition to beating and killing Amerault, Armando Barron is also accused of assaulting his wife, both before, and after the murder, and threatening her with a loaded firearm, choking her, and attempting to force Britany Barron to kill Amerault.
Britany Barron told police she was present at the time of the murder and under threat from her husband cut Amerault’s wrists with a machete and stepped on his neck, but refused to kill him. The state did not pursue charges related to Britany Barron’s part in the assault on Amerault, based on her testimony that she was an unwilling participant.
The Barron’s transported Amerault’s body to a campsite in Coos County, where Britany Barron was left alone with Amerault’s body and his vehicle for several days while Armando Barron returned to the Jaffrey area to make plans for disposal of his body. All of Britany Barron’s charges relate to actions she took following the murder, including attempting to clean Amerault’s car, and removing his head to make his body more difficult to identify, and attempting to hide his body in the woods.
Britany Barron’s defense has argued all actions she took were while in fear for her life and at her husband’s direction. The state has argued Britany Barron took steps to cover up the crime even while alone, and had at several points access to a phone and vehicle, and met with and spoke to people while at the campsite without asking for assistance and continuing to cover up the crime.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.