UPDATED - RUTHERFORD COUNTY, TN - One of three convicts who murdered a Christiana man in June of 2019 filed an appeal in hopes of receiving post-conviction relief. 

On the evening of the murder, defendant Vernice Darlene Farrar, along with Brent Ross, and Devan Gailey visited Farrar at her home, where all three began drinking and using methamphetamine. Ross began to complain that he needed money, which was when Gailey suggested they go to the victim's house and steal some of his belongings to sell for cash. Farrar testified that she agreed to go with them, but only because she wanted to take University of Alabama items for herself.

On June 26, 2019, Terry Barber, a long-time resident of Rutherford County known for selling college memorabilia and SEC clothing, was held hostage inside his Christiana home. The trio entered Barber's home through a garage that had been converted into a collectibles room. Farrar, Ross, and Gailey had bound Barber's hands and feet together and reportedly beat and strangled him to death. The trio then fled the scene, stealing numerous items from Barber's Walnut Grove Road home.

Deputies with the Rutherford County Sheriff's Office later confirmed that 68-year-old Barber was found deceased on the floor of his bedroom by a longtime friend who was there to mow his yard.

Directly after the incident, the three went to a Circle K gas station and then purchased more methamphetamine. Gailey, Ross, and Farrar then returned to Farrar's residence, where all three used meth for the second time that evening. They then 

On the morning following the murder, detectives noticed the victim's debit card was used to withdraw $600 from two different banks at three different bank locations. But what led authorities directly to the first suspect was a CashApp transaction, where funds were transferred from Barber's account to a man with the last name of Gailey, who was confirmed to be the now-convicted Devan Gailey. Detectives learned the name of Brent Ross, the second suspect in this case, when they questioned Gailey.

Surveillance photos from an ATM where the victim's debit card was used, combined with a cellphone ping recorded as being next to the bank machine when money was withdrawn from the victims account, later led police all the way to Tampa, Florida. It was in the Sunshine State that detectives located the second suspect. There, a sedan with a Tennessee license plate was located by an officer with the Tampa Police Department. During a traffic stop, Vernice Farrar and her wife were briefly questioned before the deceased victim's debit card was located in Farrar's wallet.

Of the three who were convicted for killing Barber, only one has filed an appeal at this point. Forty-four-year-old Vernice Darlene Farrar was convicted on multiple charges, including first-degree felony murder, especially aggravated kidnapping, aggravated robbery, aggravated burglary, and fraudulent use of a debit card. She received a life sentence plus an additional twenty-five years, which means her sentence will officially end on December 27, 2102.

Shortly after Farrar was transferred to the Debra Johnson Rehabilitation Center in Nashville, she filed an appeal. In the appeal, she argued that the evidence was insufficient to support her convictions. She also claimed the trial court erred in upholding the convictions and that her sentence was excessive. However, the Court of Criminal Appeals did not agree with her argument and sided with the Circuit Court of Rutherford County.

Brent Ross, 26, received a combined sentence of 60 years. His sentence will end on January 9, 2078. Devan Gailey, 25, was also sentenced to 60 years in prison and will be released in February of 2078. Farrar, who filed the appeal and lost, received a sentence that equaled a combined total of 85 years, ending in 2102.

The appeal was officially denied on the last day of last month (May 31, 2024) at 12 noon.