Karen Barnes Wiki, Biography
Karen Barnes, 60, was beaten to death in her Kensington flat on Wednesday. Police arrived at the scene to do a welfare check and found Karen lying on the ground. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police have yet to find out if any weapons were used to beat the 60-year-old man to death. The suspect has been identified as Karen’s ex-boyfriend, 62-year-old Noel Hogan. Karen Barnes’ ex-boyfriend is facing criminally negligent manslaughter and manslaughter charges.
Police discovered that Barnes left behind two daughters and a granddaughter. The family was in extreme shock after learning of the tragic death of Karen Barnes. The New York Daily News reported that Barnes and Hogan were in an on-and-off relationship.
Noel Hogan told a friend about Karen Barnes’ dead body
On Wednesday, around 8 p.m. m., NYPD arrived at an apartment on East Fifth Street near Ditmas Avenue in Kensington to conduct a welfare check. Upon arrival, they made a shocking discovery when they found the lifeless body of Karen Barnes, 60, lying on the kitchen floor.
Officers identified the suspect as the victim’s ex-boyfriend, Noel Hogan.
Hogan reportedly called a friend around 7:55 p.m. m. Wednesday to report on Karen’s body. The friend then alerted the police about Karen’s death. When officials arrived at the Kensington residence, Hogan did not answer the door. The officers somehow managed to get in and discovered that the suspect had barricaded himself in the back room of the apartment.
A neighbor mentioned that the two were arguing the night Karen died. He also heard Karen crying on the same day. She added:
Last night I heard her cry. And every time she made a noise, she’d hear him [scream], ‘B—h! B—h! P—h!”
NYPD officers confirmed that they found Karen’s body near the kitchen and that she was covered with a blanket. Initially they did not find any possible signs of trauma. Police officers made another discovery when they found a knife wound in Hogan’s chest. However, it is not clear how he sustained the injury. He was immediately transferred to Maimonides Hospital.
An autopsy was performed on Karen Barnes to find her cause of death. The report revealed that Barnes was beaten to death and that she had also suffered blunt force trauma. No signs of a struggle have yet been discovered. The police mentioned that they were called to the apartment before the incident occurred, as the couple had been arguing.
Law enforcement authorities ruled Karen’s death a homicide
According to the Daily News, a neighbor addressed the arguments and fights, mentioning:
“I could hear banging, but it sounded like someone was throwing things. [I was] paranoid because I don’t want a shot to go through the wall or something.”
Another neighbor described Karen Barnes as “a very nice woman.” Karen was supposedly a happy person. Mike Monroe, Karen’s ex-husband, spoke to the New York Daily News about the tragic incident, saying:
“What a horrible way to die! We are going to need a lot of help as a family to process.”
Mike further said that Karen Barnes was a public relations executive. She used to run the agency in San Francisco. Supposedly, the 60-year-old also ran marathons, finishing around 50 of them. Monroe said:
“She was a very intelligent person, very compassionate, very creative, she had a sense of design. It’s all really sad and unbelievable. It’s a big hit.”
An upstairs neighbor named Gilberto Sosa (63) mentioned that he did not hear anything suspicious when the fatal assault allegedly occurred. Sosa spoke about Karen Barnes and, according to the Daily News, said:
“She is fragile. Maybe a single blow knocked her down and he hit her. Maybe that’s why I didn’t hear any noise. The guy is tall. She is not a tall girl.
Sosa further mentioned that the 60-year-old man had moved into the Brooklyn residence about five or six years ago. The neighbor also said that Hogan used to come over more often once, but lately he hadn’t visited as often. When asked about the duo’s relationship, Gilberto Sosa mentioned:
“They were always together when they went to the beach. They seemed like a normal couple. I saw them when they went in together… She said “good morning” every day. She always greeted me.”
Police have ruled Karen’s death a homicide. They were unable to discover what happened between Hogan and Karen that led to the latter’s tragic death. As mentioned above, Hogan now faces charges of manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide.