Brandon Barnes
Crime & Courts

Jessica Barnes’ Murder: Could Bigamy Charges be Added?

Court records reveal Brandon Barnes was married to the woman he admitted strangling and one of his confessed accomplices, Kendall Mims.

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In a brief hearing on Wednesday afternoon (October 2, 2024), bond was denied for all three suspects arrested in connection with the brutal murder of 20-year old Jessica Barnes in South Carolina.

Jessica’s husband, 21-year old Brandon Barnes of Pendleton, S.C. was charged with murder, while Victoria Tippett and Kendall Mims – both 20 years old – have been charged with accessory after the fact, obstruction of justice and misprision of a felony. Additional charges could be forthcoming.

According to a probable cause affidavit accompanying the warrant for Barnes’ arrest, he is accused of “using his arms to strangle (his wife) to death” at a pool house in Pendleton on August 2, 2024 – the day after she was last seen alive. Tippett and Mims were living with Jessica in the pool house – which is owned by Mims’ grandfather.

According to police, Barnes subsequently joined Tippett and Mims in disposing of Jessica’s remains in the Twin Lakes region of Pickens County.

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(FITSTube)

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Jessica was reported missing by her mother on September 10, 2024 after not hearing from her in over a month. An investigation into her disappearance was initiated by the Pendleton police department. According to a press release issued by Pendleton police chief Robert Crosby, “details regarding her disappearance were vague,” which led the small department to request the assistance of the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) on September 16, 2024.

The pool house where Jessica was allegedly killed was subsequently searched by police on September 20, 2024 in connection with Jessica’s disappearance.

Jessica’s remains were reportedly discovered in a wooded area near the Twin Lakes boat ramp – just four miles west-southwest of the home where Barnes allegedly murdered her.

There has been much speculation about the relationships between Barnes and the three women who lived with him in the same small pool house where Jessica was murdered. Mims – who has an infant daughter with Barnes – has been described as a roommate, but according to records from the Anderson County probate court, the two obtained a marriage license on July 31, 2023.

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Jessica’s mom, Cecilia Varvara, said when Barnes and Jessica met online, he told her Mims – who was pregnant at the time – was his sister. This was the same tale he told another former girlfriend who met him at work, only he told her Jessica was Mims’ best friend.

Julia – whose last name we are withholding at the this time – told us the two began dating in August of 2023 and she had no clue he was involved with either Mims or with Jessica.

“He (Barnes) had us all hang out around each other, go on hikes, go to the lake, all that type of stuff, like, all around each other without us even knowing,” she said.

When Barnes brought ultrasounds of his baby with Mims to work, Julia realized the truth and ended things in November of 2023. She said when the relationship ended, the third woman – Tippett – wasn’t in the picture yet.

On January 8, 2024, Jessica and Brandon Barnes obtained a marriage license from the same Anderson County Probate Court he had obtained one with Mims just five months earlier. Unlike his marriage with Mims, an officiant and wedding date is listed — January 28, 2024. According to Varvara, her daughter was unaware of his marriage license with Mims.

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Chief Crosby confirmed today that Mims and Barnes were never divorced. When asked if the two would face bigamy charges, he said after consultation with the 10th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, at this time they did not plan to pursue such a charge due to the weight of the other charges the two are facing.

In addition to receiving assistance from SLED, Pendleton police were also aided by a “forensic anthropologist from Clemson University (who) helped identify Jessica’s remains as human.”

On Tuesday (October 1, 2024), a forensic odontologist – or a scientist who studies teeth – identified the remains found at the wooded area near the boat ramp as belonging to Jessica.

Barnes, Tippett and Mims are being held at the Anderson County detention center. Their initial hearings have been scheduled for December 3, 2024 at 9:30 a.m. EST at the Anderson County courthouse.

Stay tuned to FITSNews for continued coverage of this unfolding case in the Upstate – including a forthcoming interview with Jessica’s mother.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …

Jenn Wood (Provided)

Jenn Wood is FITSNews’ incomparable research director. She’s also the producer of the FITSFiles and Cheer Incorporated podcasts and leading expert on all things Murdaugh/ South Carolina justice. A former private investigator with a criminal justice degree, evildoers beware, Jenn Wood is far from your average journalist! A deep dive researcher with a passion for truth and a heart for victims, this mom of two is pretty much a superhero in FITSNews country. Did we mention she’s married to a rocket scientist? (Lucky guy!) Got a story idea or a tip for Jenn? Email her at jenn@fitsnews.com.

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Jenn Wood

2 comments

how progressive October 4, 2024 at 11:52 am

Thank you FitsNews for doing REAL reporting instead of the cookie-cutter narrative being reported elsewhere. Scary that that other “reporters” didn’t follow up on why a married couple had two female “roommates”, and that they reported “Brandon Barnes is father to an infant who was living with them at the time”….but didn’t report who the mother was and why the baby was there.

I wonder if Victoria Tippett and Kendall Mims are related. In the booking photos, those two women look very similar: same eyes, shape of nose and mouth. They could be sisters.

Anderson County Probate Court needs to be investigated for why they are not checking marriage license applicants for eligibility before issuing and accepting marriage licenses.

Reply
louise October 12, 2024 at 8:30 am

Excellent Reporting!

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