Barrett is charged with capital murder during the commission of a felony for the 1999 shooting death of Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper David "Rocky" Eales during a drug raid at Barrett's home just off Dwight Mission Road northwest of Sallisaw.
Federal prosecutors announced earlier this year that they would seek the death penalty against Barrett, who is serving a 30-year-prison term for Eales' death. Jury selection is expected to start Sept. 12, and opening statements are anticipated to begin Sept. 26. His preliminary hearing was held last week.
Barrett underwent two state trials in Sequoyah County District Court, and state prosecutors sought the death penalty in both trials. Barrett's first trial deadlocked at 11 to 1 for a first-degree murder conviction. In his second state trial last year, Barrett was convicted of first-degree manslaughter and assault in Eales' death and the wounding of fellow Trooper John Hamilton. Barrett is serving a 20-year prison sentence for the manslaughter charge and a 10-year sentence for the assault charge, to run consecutively.
According to federal court records, prosecutors allege that Barrett intentionally killed Eales when OHP troopers descended on Barrett's home to serve a night-time, no-knock drug search warrant when Barrett allegedly began firing at the officers.
