A third suspect in the murder of Young Dolphis missing after he was released from an Indiana jail in January.
CBS affiliate WREG reports law enforcement has issued an arrest warrant for Shondale Barnett, 28, who was arrested on Jan. 11 alongside another suspect, Justin Johnson. Barnett was supposed to be extradited back to Memphis, but was actually released from custody on Jan. 21. Cornelius Smith, another suspect in the murder of Dolph, is in custody.
Barnett is now wanted by the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, who claim they have no idea where he is. Clay County Sheriff Paul Harden addressed the situation in a press conference on Thursday.
“On Jan. 11, Mr. Shundale Barnett was brought to the Clay County Jail by the Indiana State Police from an arrest on I-70. He was booked in the Clay County Jail on an outstanding warrant from Shelby County, Tennessee,” Harden explained.
“We contacted Shelby County and held him on their warrant,” he continued. “And we were contacted on Jan. 21 and they told us that they were no longer wanting to come and pick up Mr. Barnett and that we were to release him at that time.”
When asked at Thursday’s press conference to clarify why Barnett was released, Shelby County District Attorney General Amy Weirich steered away from giving a definitive answer.
“I can’t, because it’s a pending case,” Weirich said. “It is a pending investigation, it is a pending prosecution, and we can’t get into that at this time. When we can, we will answer all those questions that I know the public has.”
In January, Barnett was charged with being an accessory after the fact to first-degree murder. He also faces charges of criminal attempt to commit first-degree murder and theft of property.
