Remembering Jonathan Barr of the Dixmoor Five

Mr. Barr was a pillar of strength within the innocence movement, always willing to support fellow exonerees returning home.

In Memory 08.26.24 By Alicia Maule

Brothers Jonathan Barr and James Harden.

Brothers Jonathan Barr and James Harden.

The Innocence Project is heartbroken to share that Jonathan Barr, 46, was tragically killed in a mass shooting in Chicago on Aug. 20. Mr. Barr, a beloved member of our community, had recently discovered a passion for motorcycling and was riding with friends in broad daylight when the group and others in the vicinity were sprayed with bullets. Several of his friends were wounded in the hail of gunfire, but only Mr. Barr suffered fatal injuries.

This hobby was a newfound joy for Mr. Barr after spending 14 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. After his exoneration in 2011, he moved away from his old neighborhood, started a family and opened an auto repair shop.

“Jonathan’s death is a huge loss to the innocence movement,” said Peter Neufeld, Innocence Project co-founder and attorney for Mr. Barr.

Jonathan Barr. Marvin Anderson. Randy Mills. Benny Starks. Four men represented by the Innocence Project and exonerated by DNA evidence tell their uplifting stories about freedom from wrongful conviction.

Jonathan Barr and his daughter Mattie.

Mr. Barr, and his brother James Harden, were two of the five defendants known as the Dixmoor Five. In 1997, they were just teenagers when they were wrongly convicted of the rape and murder of a 14-year-old girl in Dixmoor, Illinois, largely based on coerced false confessions. They were ultimately exonerated when DNA testing identified the real perpetrator of the crime, which had actually been committed by a single adult male rather than the five innocent teenagers. 

Tragically, Mr. Barr’s parents, who had fought tirelessly for their sons’ freedom, passed away before they could witness their exoneration. Their father knew his sons were innocent as he was with them at home when the crime occurred. For many years their dad kept the trial transcripts in his car and showed them to every new legal team, seeking their help. 

“I wish my parents could have lived to see this, but I know in spirit they are here and will continue to be with me as long as I am here, and as long as my daughter is here,” Mr. Barr said shortly after his release. “If I have more children, they will live through them. But I am thankful to be home.”