CRIME & COURTS

Jessica Barnes Murder: Kendall Mims’ Family Speaks

Countering misinformation…

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Earlier this month, a winter storm in the Upstate region of South Carolina delayed preliminary hearings for 21-year-old Brandon Barnes, 20-year-old Victoria Tippett and 20-year-old Kendall Mims.

The trio were arrested on October 4, 2024 in connection with the murder of Barnes’ wife – 20-year-old Jessica Barnes – on August 2, 2024. Barnes is accused of strangling his late wife to death, while Tippett and Mims are accused of joining him in disposing of her remains.

Mims, Tippett and Jessica Barnes were all living with the accused killer in a pool house in Pendleton, S.C. owned by Mims’ grandfather. That property was searched by police on September 20 in connection with Jessica Barnes’ disappearance – which had been reported to law enforcement a week earlier by her mother.

Barnes’ remains were discovered near the Twin Lakes region of Pickens County on October 2, 2024.

Barnes has been charged with murder, while Mims and Tippett have been charged with accessory after the fact, obstruction of justice and misprision of a felony. All three have been held without bond in the Anderson County detention center since their arrest. Last month, S.C. circuit court judge R. Scott Sprouse declined a motion by Mims attorney Catherine Wyse to set bond for Mims on the charges she is facing.

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Earlier this month, Kendall Mims’ family sat down with FITSNews to share their side of the story. Frustrated by the misinformation being presented about their daughter, Mims’ parents – Marcus Mims and Teresa Mims – along with her grandfather, Ron Herrin, told the heartbreaking story of their daughter’s relationship with Brandon Barnes and the abuse she allegedly endured at his hands.

Brandon Barnes entered the lives of the tight-knit Mims family suddenly – and the impact he had on their family was instantaneous and catastrophic. Admittedly over-protective, Kendall’s parents thought they had time to steer their daughter away from the young man who quickly took over her life. But despite his young age, Barnes was already a skilled manipulator who exerted control over their daughter quickly and without warning.

By the time they managed to begin to break their daughter away from him, the Mims family had unknowingly already lost her…

According to the Mims family, one of the many facts they are hoping to correct is the contention their daughter was married to Barnes. She is not. Though the two obtained a marriage license, they never actually wed. Barnes’ marriage to Jessica – which occurred during one of the rare times Kendall was allowed to visit her family for her birthday – was valid and the license signed by a minister.

In fact, Teresa advised her pregnant daughter against marrying Brandon Barnes – telling her, “I know you’re always used to having a mom and a dad raise a child and that’s the way our faith base is raised but do not marry him.”

“He is not a good person,” Teresa Mims told her daughter. “You deserve so much better.”

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RELATED | A PERFECT STORM

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Another rumor Mims’ family hopes to clarify is that despite Barnes portraying Kendall as his sister early on in their relationship, the fact he was the father of Kendall’s baby was well known at the time the child was born. According to Mims’ parents, Jessica was even present during the child’s birth.

Wyse noted the impact inaccurate media reports have had on her client.

“Factual inaccuracies severely impact a defendant’s right to a fair trial, and can further traumatize the family of victims,” Wyse said.

As the Mims family now navigates the legal system with their daughter, they’ve found themselves in the unenviable position of having to advocate for Kendall while balancing their empathy for the pain they know the family of Jessica Barnes is experiencing. Teresa Mims noted the difficulty of this task, but added, “If Kendall tried to leave or at least tried to speak up for herself or her child at the time, she would not be alive.”

Preliminary hearings for all three suspects have been set for February 14, 2025 in Anderson County, S.C. FITSNews will provide coverage of those hearings as we continue tracking this tragic case…

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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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