On the night of August 17, 2002, Justin and April Barber were walking along the beach of Guana River State Park in Jacksonville, Florida, after celebrating their third wedding anniversary. Justin would leave the beach with four gunshot wounds, but April wouldn’t leave at all. According to Justin, a robbery attempt on the dark beach turned deadly, ending in April’s death.
But as the investigation went on, Justin’s story started to unravel. Despite the alleged robber-turned-murderer, Justin became the primary suspect. In June 2006, when he was brought to trial for his wife’s murder, the 1988 Guns N’ Roses track “Used to Love Her” became the big red arrow pointing right at Justin.
The prosecution noted that Justin downloaded “Used to Love Her” on the day his wife was murdered. Incriminating lyrics include “I used to love her / But I had to kill her / I had to put her / Six feet under / But I can still hear her complain”. The song was actually written about Axl Rose’s dog at the time. But the defense noted that it was just one song out of 16 others Justin downloaded on August 17, 2002.
“Of 1,695 songs on his computer, 16 of which were downloaded on the afternoon of [April’s] death, and out of those, we were brought this one in the courtroom,” defense attorney Bob Willis said at the time.
1988 Track ‘Used to Love Her’ Used as Evidence Against Justin Barber in 2006 Murder Case
The years that led to April Barber’s death were fraught with stressors, criticisms, preoccupations with appearances, and Justin’s extramarital affairs. They were married young after just under a year together, and April’s younger siblings lived with them after they were married. The tension seemed to grow from there. When Justin’s work transferred him to Jacksonville, April stayed in their home in Georgia. They saw each other on weekends.
According to April’s friends and family, there were always potential warning signs. In 2001, he took out life insurance policies worth $2 million. On August 4, 2002, April confronted Justin about his cheating, threatening to end their marriage. Then, on August 16, she returned to Jacksonville for their anniversary. By the night of the 17th, she was dead. Her loved ones were immediately convinced Justin had killed her.
It took several years of detective work before there was enough evidence to take Justin Barber to court. This included his computer records. In February 2002, he searched “medical trauma right chest”. A week later, he searched “gunshot wound right chest”. He later searched “Florida divorce”. A few hours before April’s murder, he downloaded “Used to Love Her”. According to the district attorney, this was Justin’s way of psyching himself up to kill his wife.
Murderous Husband Used Guns N’ Roses Track to Psych Himself Up, But His Careful Plan Unraveled
Detectives pieced together Justin’s plan. He was going to shoot April, then himself, drag her to the car, and drive around looking for help, under the guise of a beach robbery. But evidence suggested that April ran, Justin attempted to drown her, then finally killed her by the boardwalk. His self-inflicted wounds derailed his plan further when he wasn’t able to get April’s body to the car. So he left her on the beach.
According to District Attorney Matt Foxman, “[Justin Barber] wanted the $2 million, he wanted sympathy for being shot, and he wanted to look like a hero who’d tried to save his wife. He wanted it all.”
In 2006, Justin was sentenced to life in prison without parole. He allegedly showed no emotion in the courtroom when the verdict was read. According to psychology experts, Justin Barber had all the classic symptoms of a sociopath.
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