Victim testifies in Barnes’ New York trial

The woman allegedly used as a human shield by a Maine man accused of murdering his mother in Orono took the stand Wednesday in a Manhattan courtroom.

She testified that Mark Barnes, 30, grabbed her in the subway on May 4, 2000, when he tried to elude the New York Transit Authority police after trying to sneak onto the subway without paying.

Barnes is charged with first-degree kidnapping and second-degree assault in connection with the incident. He has been held without bail since his arraignment.

The trial began Wednesday with opening statements and testimony from police and the victim. Testimony from police and other witnesses was expected to continue today, according to Sherry Hunter, a spokesperson for the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. She added that the case probably would not go to the jury until next week.

The body of Barnes’ 59-year-old mother, Barbara Barnes, was discovered in her Dryden Terrace apartment, the morning of Dec. 20, 1999. Concerned co-workers called police after the longtime waitress did not show up for work at Pat’s Pizza in downtown Orono.

Police believe Barnes left the area the evening of Dec. 20, 1999, after stabbing his mother. He was last seen in Boston a few hours before Barbara Barnes’ body was found.

If Barnes is convicted of the New York charges, he won’t be returned to Maine to face murder charges until after sentencing, according to Stephen McCausland, spokesman for the Maine State Police. The accused murderer could be back in his home state sooner if he’s acquitted.