Woman accused of murder allowed to attend private visitation for her son

The same day a St. Louis County Circuit judge set a date for a Bollinger County woman to be tried on first-degree murder charges, he also decided she should be allowed to say goodbye to her son.

In the custody of sheriff's deputies from Bollinger and Cape Girardeau counties, Lisa A. Barlow was permitted to attend a private visitation Tuesday morning for her son, Brandon Wayne Bentley, at Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Chaffee, Mo.

Bentley, 24, of Blytheville, Ark., died Saturday in a car accident.

St. Louis County Circuit Judge James Hartenbach approved Monday a request by Barlow's public defender, Amy Metzinger, allowing her to spend some time saying goodbye to her son before the public visitation at 11 a.m. at the funeral chapel, said Bollinger County chief deputy Leo McElrath.

Hartenbach also set a trial date of Jan. 26 for Barlow's case.

Deputies maintained custody of Barlow during the private visitation, meaning she remained in handcuffs, McElrath said.

Barlow is housed in the Cape Girardeau County Jail on a $500,000 cash-only bond. She stands accused of killing her boyfriend, Michael Strong, of Scopus, Mo., on July 27.

Strong was shot and killed in the living room of his Bollinger County residence, and Barlow, who police found hiding in the bedroom of the residence, claimed intruders broke in.

Evidence presented at a preliminary hearing last fall disputed her story, and the case was transferred to St. Louis on a change of venue.

The private visitation is not something that the Cape Girardeau County Jail staff is always able to arrange, but in this case, the judge approved the arrangement beforehand, Capt. James Mulcahy said.

In many cases, those charged with lesser felonies may be granted a furlough, allowing them to leave the jail without posting bond, attend to a death in the family or other type of personal emergency and then return to custody, Mulcahy said.

bdicosmo@semissourian.com

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