TULARE, Calif. (TCD) — A 27-year-old man will spend the next several decades of his life in prison for fatally beating and stabbing an elderly woman before setting her mobile home ablaze in 2022.
The Tulare County District Attorney’s Office announced Feb. 1 that the County Superior Court sentenced Anthony Barra to life in prison after he pleaded no contest in September 2023 to first-degree murder with the special allegation of use of a deadly weapon and felony elder abuse resulting in death. He must serve 29 years before being considered for parole.
According to prosecutors, on Jan. 20, 2022, shortly after 6 a.m., Tulare Police responded to a trailer fire. Neighbors reportedly told officers the trailer belonged to a 74-year-old woman, identified by the Tulare Police Department as Carol Hendon.
Inside the home, fire and emergency personnel found the woman dead and noticed a strong smell of gasoline, according to the district attorney’s office. Officials reportedly observed the victim’s car outside the home parked in the garage with the trunk open.
An autopsy later determined the victim died before the fire, and she had been beaten and stabbed.
Upon further investigation, officers reportedly learned a man was seen near the victim’s carport at around 5:30 a.m. When police reviewed surveillance footage, it showed the man starting the trailer fire and “reigniting the blaze.”
The next day, Jan. 21, 2022, officers responded to a report of a man loitering outside a store and “making lewd comments.” According to the Tulare Police Department, at the scene, Barra allegedly broke into a car and officers took him into custody on suspicion of burglary.
Law enforcement officials found lighters and a red gas can in his possession, the district attorney’s office said. Police noted Barra resisted arrest and became violent.
According to prosecutors, investigators identified the man in the surveillance footage as Barra and found his DNA in the victim’s car. When police interviewed Barra, they said he “provided intimate details” regarding Hendon’s death.
Prosecutors initially charged Barra with first-degree murder, aggravated arson, torture, and destroying or concealing evidence, officers said. Police also suspected Barra had ignited a series of dumpster fires.
While in custody, Barra reportedly assaulted correctional deputies in two separate cases in 2022 and 2023 and pleaded no contest to assault and battery against custodial officers. He had previously been convicted of burglary and vandalism.
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