Active case · New Jersey

Richard Barge

Convicted of Murder

State: New Jersey

A single, coerced eyewitness identification put Richard Barge away for a 2010 murder conviction in Camden County, NJ. That witness has since recanted multiple times, saying he never actually saw the shooter's face and that police coerced his identification. The jailhouse informants who testified against Barge have also recanted or contradicted themselves. New evidence points to two other named suspects, and the murder weapon was used in a separate crime committed after Barge was already incarcerated -- evidence the prosecution disclosed late and never properly investigated. New Jersey's Conviction Review Unit has reportedly recommended Mr. Barge's exoneration. The case now awaits action from the New Jersey Attorney General's Office.

eyewitness — who later recanted

alibi witnesses at the scene

of the key claims fully heard at trial

“He was home with us that night. Everyone who knew the truth said so — the jury just never heard it.”

I.The conviction

Charge: Murder
Year convicted: 2010
Sentence: 57 years
Time served: 18.5 years
What contributed to the conviction: A single eyewitness identification (Steven Goldsboro) obtained via a suggestive single-photo showup, later recanted -- Goldsboro says he never saw the shooter's face and was coerced by police. Jailhouse informant testimony (Jamal Gibbs and Andre Munday) that was later recanted or contradicted; Gibbs received undisclosed money and housing for his testimony, and Munday admits he never actually spoke with Barge.

II.The cost

Impact on family

Richard Barge was 21 and working labor jobs when he was arrested, and he was single with a 2-year-old son. His mother was taking medication for depression and high blood pressure. His son grew up raised by a single parent, living house to house.

Impact on community

Before his arrest, Richard held a vital role in his community as a mentor to young people and a little league football coach. He does not know who committed the crime, but he maintains his innocence. Over the years he has spent incarcerated, many people in his community have disappeared from his life, having lost faith in the judicial system.

III.Evidence of innocence

1. A corroborated alibi
On the night of the murder, Mr. Barge was at Vanessa Brown's apartment for Thanksgiving dinner. Vanessa, Ronnet, and Mantasia Brown all testified he was present -- consistent, credible, and with no motive to fabricate.
2. Medical evidence he could not have run
Less than a month before, Mr. Barge was shot in the abdomen and had emergency surgery, including damage to his spine -- leaving him physically unable to flee as the shooter reportedly did. His medical records were never adequately presented to the jury.
3. The murder weapon was used after his arrest
The weapon was used in another crime while Mr. Barge was already incarcerated. Disclosed late by the prosecution, it was never properly investigated -- and the person who used it had no connection to him.

IV.Newly discovered evidence

1. The sole eyewitness recanted
Steven Goldsboro, the State's only eyewitness, has recanted multiple times, stating he never saw the shooter's face and that his identification was coerced by police. His first account -- a masked shooter he couldn't identify -- fits the physical evidence.
2. Evidence points to other suspects
New evidence implicates Rakeem Green and Billy Ray Corbit. Green admitted being at the scene, and the victim had cooperated against the Corbit crew shortly before his death -- a clear motive for retaliation the jury never heard.
3. Jailhouse informants recanted
Jamal Gibbs and Andre Munday, who testified Mr. Barge confessed, have since recanted or contradicted themselves. Gibbs received undisclosed money and housing; Munday admits he never actually spoke with Mr. Barge.
4. Undisclosed ballistics
The State failed to disclose ballistics linking the murder weapon to another crime -- evidence that could have supported a third-party defense -- until just before trial.

V.Due-process violations

1. Brady violations
The prosecution withheld exculpatory evidence: Goldsboro's informant status and benefits, Gibbs's informant history and benefits, and the third-party culpability and weapon-reuse evidence.
2. Suggestive identification
Investigator James Bruno showed Goldsboro a single photograph of Mr. Barge -- violating Attorney General guidelines and tainting the identification at the center of the State's case.
3. Perjured testimony
The State relied on false or misleading testimony from Goldsboro, Gibbs, and Munday and failed to correct it, contrary to Napue v. Illinois, 360 U.S. 264 (1959).

VI.Unreliable evidence

1. Inconsistent eyewitness account
Goldsboro's testimony conflicted with his prior statements and the physical evidence, and his recantations and admissions of coercion undercut it further.
2. Self-interested informants
Gibbs and Munday had long histories of cooperating for benefits; their accounts were inconsistent and contradicted by other evidence.
3. Physical evidence contradicts the theory
The bullet trajectory and the reuse of the weapon do not support the State's theory -- and were never put before the jury.

VII.Documents

Alibi witness affidavits (Brown family) — Sworn statements	On file
Emergency surgery & spinal records — Medical records	On file
Goldsboro recantation statements — Recantation	On file
Ballistics — weapon reuse report — Forensic report	On file
Informant benefit disclosures — Court filing	On file

VIII.Take action

Demand Justice for Richard Barge

Richard Barge's case has cleared a major hurdle: New Jersey's Conviction Review Unit has recommended his exoneration, and the case now sits with the New Jersey Attorney General's Office awaiting final action. The sole eyewitness has recanted, the informants have recanted, and new evidence points to other suspects. Call the New Jersey Attorney General's Office at (609) 292-4925, reference Richard Barge's case, and mention Jennifer Davenport -- then add your name below to keep the pressure on.

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