Sixteen-year-old Brendan Barnes, left, and his cousin Antonio Henry, 25, are charged in the death of Rev. David Strong.A local Criminal Court judge on Monday moved a hearing date for two defendants in the 2010 killing of a local pastor.
Antonio Henry, 26, and his cousin Brendan Barnes, 17, face first-degree murder charges in the beating and stabbing death of pastor David Strong. Their next hearing date is scheduled for Oct. 3.
Local criminal defense attorney Dan Ripper is representing Henry while the public defender’s office is representing Barnes. Both have asked that the case be severed, which would allow for separate trials for Henry and Barnes.
The cousins have told police and the Chattanooga Times Free Press that they beat Strong, but each blames the other for the 29 stab wounds that a medical examiner says killed the 55-year-old man in his Glenwood Drive home.
Police found Strong’s body Oct. 10, 2010, but think he was killed days before.
The pair left the home in Strong’s vehicle and withdrew about $600 from the pastor’s bank account after his death, police said.
During a jailhouse interview with the Times Free Press in October, Henry said he beat Strong with a stick and Barnes stabbed him after the pastor made unwanted sexual advances.
An autopsy revealed alcohol and THC — marijuana’s active ingredient — in the pastor’s blood.
Barnes and Henry remain in custody pending their next hearing. Neither appeared in court Monday.
Contact staff writer Todd South at tsouth@timesfree press.com or 423-757-6347.