WILLINGBORO, NJ – Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina announced that a 29-year-old Willingboro resident has been indicted for fatally shooting a man late last year outside of a house in the township’s Millbrook Park neighborhood.
A grand jury indicted Kwacey Q. Owens on charges of Murder (First Degree), Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose (Second Degree), Unlawful Possession of a Weapon (Second Degree) and two counts of Certain Persons Not to Have Weapons (Second Degree).
The indictment was returned today and signed by First Assistant Prosecutor Philip S. Aronow. An arraignment will be scheduled soon in Superior Court. Owens has been lodged in the Burlington County Jail in Mount Holly since his arrest in October 2020.
The investigation began October 8, 2020 after Willingboro Township police officers were called to the first block of Maplewick Lane just after 1:30 a.m. for a report of a shooting. Upon arrival, they found the body of Barry Barino, 28, outside the rear door of his home. He was pronounced dead at the scene by the Burlington County Medical Examiner’s Office. An autopsy performed by Burlington County Medical Examiner Dr. Ian Hood ruled that Barino’s death was caused by a gunshot wound to the head.
The investigation revealed that Barino and Owens were acquaintances, and that Owens had been inside the victim’s home a short time earlier before luring him outside to shoot him. The weapon used in the shooting, a .45 caliber pistol, was recovered inside the residence where Owens had been staying.
Owens is being prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutor Jamie Hutchinson. The investigation was conducted by detectives from the Willingboro Township Police Department and the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office. The lead investigators were Willingboro Detective Elijah Hart, BCPO Major Crimes Unit Detective Sergeant Tony Luyber and BCPO Detective Kevin Sobotka.