Conviction of Kirby man upheld by Court of Appeals

The Arkansas Court of Appeals has upheld a 9th West Circuit Court ruling concerning a 2018 rape conviction in Pike County. 43 year old Josh Barrett of Kirby was charged in May 2017 with six counts of Rape. A Pike County jury found him guilty on all six counts in April of the following year and sentenced him to 25 years in prison. In December 2019, Barrett filed an appeal on his conviction, claiming he had ineffective representation by his attorney. Circuit Judge Tom Cooper ruled against Barrett’s motion. The petition for a new trial was then transferred to the Arkansas Court of Appeals.
A letter from that legal body was submitted March 18th, reaffirming the conviction and previous ruling by Judge Cooper. The appeals court ruling was officially received by Pike County Circuit Court yesterday.