Latest news with #OasiaBarnes
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Yahoo
Gary man convicted of raping teen after kidnapping her from Michael Jackson's former home: officials
The Brief Oasia Barnes has been convicted of 18 felony counts, including rape and kidnapping, tied to an August 2024 incident involving a 16-year-old girl. The attack began near Michael Jackson's childhood home in Gary and ended with the girl's rescue six hours later. Barnes faces more than 300 years in prison and will be sentenced on June 25. GARY, Ind. - A Gary man has been convicted in the armed kidnapping and rape of a 16-year-old girl last year. What we know Oasia Barnes was found guilty of 18 charges stemming from an August 9, 2024, attack in which he abducted a father and daughter at gunpoint from the 2300 block of Jackson Street in Gary. The convictions include rape, kidnapping, criminal confinement, armed robbery, and other felonies. The backstory The father and his daughter had been visiting Michael Jackson's childhood home when Barnes approached them with a handgun. Prosecutors said Barnes pointed the weapon into the girl's ribs, demanded money, and forced the father to drive to a secluded alley. Barnes then took the girl out of the car while ordering the father to stay behind. Once out of sight, the father ran to a nearby home and called 911. Gary officers found Barnes and the girl behind a home on Washington Street less than six hours later. The girl told police that Barnes forced her to perform sexual acts at gunpoint and told her to act like his girlfriend as they walked through the neighborhood. Officers recovered a black Taurus handgun in Barnes' possession. What's next Barnes is scheduled to be sentenced on June 25. He faces a possible sentence of 300+ years in prison. The Source The information in this article was provided by the City of Gary, the Gary Police Department, and previous FOX 32 reporting.
Daily Mail
07-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Girl is abducted by pedophile during family visit to Michael Jackson's childhood home
A teenage girl was abducted at gunpoint by a pedophile during a family trip to Michael Jackson 's childhood home, then molested in a field, it is claimed. Oasia Barnes is on trial this week after being accused of kidnapping the 17 year-old girl and her father from the home in Gary, Indiana, before beating her her. Prosecutors say the 69-year-old led them from the former home of the King of Pop before separating them and forcing the girl to perform a sex act on him in a field. The horrific incident happened last August when the father and daughter, from New York, decided to stop off in the city to visit the home. According to The Chicago-Tribune, the teenager, whose identity has not been shared, told the court this week that Barnes had groped her after her forced the two of them into their rental vehicle. She told the court: 'I was very scared. It was horrifying. It was disgusting', as she told the court as she told the court he forced her to perform a sex act on him. The father of the girl also gave evidence this week and said that they arrived at the home with around a dozen fellow fans outside of it. He told the court that Barnes passed him and his daughter, telling them 'don't forget your glove'. The man testified that he 'didn't think anything of it'. After several minutes, a man that he identified in court as Barnes approached his daughter from behind with a gun and threatened to shoot her. Initially believing it to be a robbery, the man recalled quickly handing over a few hundred dollars when he says Barnes ordered him to hand over his phone. Barnes is then said to have led the two back to their rental vehicle by gunpoint, with the father telling a nearby Hispanic family to 'call the cops'. The man told the court that Barnes ordered them into the car and had the girl sit on his lap in the backseat as he directed the father. He recalled to the court that it was 'not looking good', as Barnes told him to park near an overgrown alley, the dad said. The man said that Barnes told him: 'I'm going to borrow her' as he led his daughter out of the vehicle. He told the court that he considered running the man down as he led his daughter away, pleading with him to not hurt her. 'I won't do her like that', the man recalled Barnes telling him before he tried to press the car's OnStar button for help. After frantically following after the two on foot, he managed to get the attention of a woman at a neighboring house who he had dial 911. The girl also said that she had been forced to hold Barnes hand after the assault and walk down the street with him and pretend to be his girlfriend. She recalled that he briefly spoke with three people that he appeared to know. The girl said she asked how long she was going to be kept for, Barnes replied six months. According to the outlet, she told prosecutor Tara Villarreal: 'I'm telling him I can't do this. I have to go to school.' After hearing police helicopters overhead, she said Barnes bundled her into the rear of a property when he again groped her. She said she continued to talk to him throughout in the hopes of getting distracted, telling the court: 'I have things I'm passionate about, I want to pursue. I need to keep myself alive.' Shortly after police arrived on the scene and found the two in a basement stairwell, with Barnes then being arrested. Officers at the time said he had a handgun on him. Barnes was charged with several felonies which includes felony rape and has denied all of the accusations against him. Indiana court and prison records seen by the outlet indicate that he is a convicted serial rapist, with convictions dating back to the 1970s. He was released in March 2024 after being imprisoned in 1985 for 70 years after he raped a woman at knifepoint, the outlet reported. Barnes also served time for a rape in August of 1972 and a battery charge in May of 1978. Jackson was born in Gary in 1958 and grew up in the home with abusive Svengali father Joe, who was credited with propelling Michael and his other children including Janet, La Toya, Tito and Jermaine to music stardom. Jackson was dubbed the King of Pop thanks to decades of dazzling music success and is widely-regarded as one of the most talented musicians of all-time. He died in 2009 aged just 50 and had been accused of sexually abusing multiple underage boys during his career, but never faced any criminal charges.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Yahoo
Tourist teen recalls kidnapping from Michael Jackson home
A teen girl, 17, testified Tuesday that she and her father weren't at the Michael Jackson Childhood Home in Gary long before a man walked up from behind and stuck a gun at her side. Throughout the hours-long ordeal on Aug. 9, then 16, she said she was motivated to remain calm and stay alive. She and her father had been on a road trip, visiting prestigious colleges in the eastern U.S. and Midwest. That day, they planned to head to Notre Dame from Chicago. With an interest in aerospace, she wanted to be an engineer. 'There's no one else,' she said. 'It's up to me.' Oasia Barnes, 69, of Gary, is on trial this week. He is accused of kidnapping the two from the Michael Jackson home, taking them near an abandoned home, separating the girl and forcing her to perform a sex act in an overgrown field. He is charged with several felonies, including Level 1 felony rape. He has denied the accusations and pleaded not guilty. Indiana court and prison records show he is a convicted serial rapist, dating back to the 1970s and was released from a 1985 Gary rape sentence in March 2024. The father, from New York, testified he was a Michael Jackson fan, but didn't know much about Gary. The city, originally built for workers at U.S. Steel, has about 70,000 residents with around 50 murders a year and is plagued by at least 10,000 abandoned buildings. He assumed they would walk inside the home — which is typically locked. He plugged the address into a phone. The Post-Tribune asked Gary Mayor Eddie Melton's office what has been done since the incident to help protect tourists' safety when they stop and visit the property. 'We want to emphasize that this was an isolated incident, and we have not seen any further issues in the area since that time,' Gary Police Chief Derrick Cannon said in an email through a mayor's office spokeswoman. Cameras at the home are connected to Gary Police's Real Time Crime Center — launched in 2023, planted at places like gas stations, libraries and McDonalds — that allow officers to pull video surveillance nearly instantaneously. Gary Police works with the Jackson family, residents, businesses to make sure it is covered with footage, he said. '(W)e were able to leverage this technology, along with tips from the community, to rapidly locate and arrest the suspect within hours. We thank our partners at the FBI and Lake County Sheriff's Office for their valuable partnership in this effort,' he wrote. The city is also encouraging residents to put video camera doorbells on their homes. A man called 911 after his cell phone got an alert from a camera system that three people were in the back of his property on the 2200 block of Washington Street address — where the girl was found. At the Michael Jackson home, there were at first maybe a dozen people, including a large Hispanic family, the father said. Barnes passed the man and his daughter briefly, saying, 'don't forget your glove.' 'I didn't think anything of it,' he said. Minutes later, as he was taking pictures of plaques, Barnes approached the girl from behind with a gun, threatening to shoot her. 'You're just baffled,' the man said. 'It caught me off-guard, frankly.' The gunman, who he identified as Barnes in court, was 'very calm.' He gave Barnes a couple hundred dollars in cash, thinking it was just a robbery. When Barnes ordered him to give up his phone, the man handed it to his daughter. On the way to his rental car, the man told the Hispanic family in Spanish that Barnes had a gun and to 'call the cops,' he said. The man told Barnes to take the car. Barnes ordered them inside, saying he needed a ride. The girl sat on Barnes' lap in the backseat. As he gave the man directions, it was 'not looking good' as the area turned increasingly run-down, the father said. Telling him to park near an overgrown alley with garbage, Barnes took the girl out of the car. 'I'm going to borrow her,' the man recalled Barnes saying. 'That's when I realized it was something the man said. He continued to plead with him not to hurt her, then considered trying to run the man down, but didn't want to hurt his daughter. Later, Barnes returned, asking if she was a virgin. 'I won't do her like that,' Barnes said, the man recalled. The man tried to hit the car's OnStar button for help, but it didn't work. 'I have to do something,' he said. 'This is like my last stand.' The father went into the garage and the abandoned home where they disappeared, finding nothing. Coming out, he was 'hysterical.' The man ran to Maryland Street, where he saw a woman coming home with groceries. He knocked on the door. The woman who answered called 911 for him. On cross-examination with defense lawyer Robert Varga, the man said he did not personally witness his daughter being assaulted. Gary Police told him they did not appear to be on the cameras at the Jackson home, he said. The man said he was 'baffled,' noting they had pictures and a selfie — the latter was shown in court. In detailed testimony, the teen recalled what happened. As her dad was ordered to get the car, still at the Jackson home, the assailant — who she also identified as Barnes — told her to touch his genitals over his clothes. Once in the car, he forced her to sit on his lap, then touched her breasts. 'I was very scared,' she said. In the car, she told him she was a virgin. When they got to the overgrown field, he told her to kiss him, then forced her to perform the sex act. 'It was horrifying,' she said. 'It was disgusting.' At that moment, she dropped the two phones she was carrying in the field. Realistically, there was no way she could have safely called 911, she said. Later, they walked toward Broadway Avenue. He told the girl to hold his hand and pretend she was his girlfriend. He talked briefly to three people he appeared to know. How long are you going to keep me, she later asks. Six months, Barnes replied. 'I'm telling (him) I can't do this,' she told Deputy Prosecutor Tara Villarreal. 'I have to go to school.' When they started to hear police helicopters, Barnes took her to Washington Street. She said she was hungry. He texted another man to come over, who took their order and returned later with food. Barnes fondled the girl behind the home, she said. She continued to talk to him, hoping it would distract him. 'I have things I'm passionate about, I want to pursue,' she said. 'I need to keep myself alive.' By then, in a city she didn't know, the girl was considering her options. Right at the time she thought it might be best to make a run, a police officer showed. The trial continues this week. Gary residents can report crime to a police in a Text-to-Tip line at 219-207-8477.
Chicago Tribune
07-05-2025
- Chicago Tribune
Tourist teen recalls kidnapping from Michael Jackson home
A teen girl, 17, testified Tuesday that she and her father weren't at the Michael Jackson Childhood Home in Gary long before a man walked up from behind and stuck a gun at her side. Throughout the hours-long ordeal on Aug. 9, then 16, she said she was motivated to remain calm and stay alive. She and her father had been on a road trip, visiting prestigious colleges in the eastern U.S. and Midwest. That day, they planned to head to Notre Dame from Chicago. With an interest in aerospace, she wanted to be an engineer. 'There's no one else,' she said. 'It's up to me.' Oasia Barnes, 69, of Gary, is on trial this week. He is accused of kidnapping the two from the Michael Jackson home, taking them near an abandoned home, separating the girl and forcing her to perform a sex act in an overgrown field. He is charged with several felonies, including Level 1 felony rape. He has denied the accusations and pleaded not guilty. Indiana court and prison records show he is a convicted serial rapist, dating back to the 1970s and was released from a 1985 Gary rape sentence in March 2024. The father, from New York, testified he was a Michael Jackson fan, but didn't know much about Gary. The city, originally built for workers at U.S. Steel, has about 70,000 residents with around 50 murders a year and is plagued by at least 10,000 abandoned buildings. He assumed they would walk inside the home — which is typically locked. He plugged the address into a phone. The Post-Tribune asked Gary Mayor Eddie Melton's office what has been done since the incident to help protect tourists' safety when they stop and visit the property. 'We want to emphasize that this was an isolated incident, and we have not seen any further issues in the area since that time,' Gary Police Chief Derrick Cannon said in an email through a mayor's office spokeswoman. Cameras at the home are connected to Gary Police's Real Time Crime Center — launched in 2023, planted at places like gas stations, libraries and McDonalds — that allow officers to pull video surveillance nearly instantaneously. Gary Police works with the Jackson family, residents, businesses to make sure it is covered with footage, he said. '(W)e were able to leverage this technology, along with tips from the community, to rapidly locate and arrest the suspect within hours. We thank our partners at the FBI and Lake County Sheriff's Office for their valuable partnership in this effort,' he wrote. The city is also encouraging residents to put video camera doorbells on their homes. A man called 911 after his cell phone got an alert from a camera system that three people were in the back of his property on the 2200 block of Washington Street address — where the girl was found. At the Michael Jackson home, there were at first maybe a dozen people, including a large Hispanic family, the father said. Barnes passed the man and his daughter briefly, saying, 'don't forget your glove.' 'I didn't think anything of it,' he said. Minutes later, as he was taking pictures of plaques, Barnes approached the girl from behind with a gun, threatening to shoot her. 'You're just baffled,' the man said. 'It caught me off-guard, frankly.' The gunman, who he identified as Barnes in court, was 'very calm.' He gave Barnes a couple hundred dollars in cash, thinking it was just a robbery. When Barnes ordered him to give up his phone, the man handed it to his daughter. On the way to his rental car, the man told the Hispanic family in Spanish that Barnes had a gun and to 'call the cops,' he said. The man told Barnes to take the car. Barnes ordered them inside, saying he needed a ride. The girl sat on Barnes' lap in the backseat. As he gave the man directions, it was 'not looking good' as the area turned increasingly run-down, the father said. Telling him to park near an overgrown alley with garbage, Barnes took the girl out of the car. 'I'm going to borrow her,' the man recalled Barnes saying. 'That's when I realized it was something the man said. He continued to plead with him not to hurt her, then considered trying to run the man down, but didn't want to hurt his daughter. Later, Barnes returned, asking if she was a virgin. 'I won't do her like that,' Barnes said, the man recalled. The man tried to hit the car's OnStar button for help, but it didn't work. 'I have to do something,' he said. 'This is like my last stand.' The father went into the garage and the abandoned home where they disappeared, finding nothing. Coming out, he was 'hysterical.' The man ran to Maryland Street, where he saw a woman coming home with groceries. He knocked on the door. The woman who answered called 911 for him. On cross-examination with defense lawyer Robert Varga, the man said he did not personally witness his daughter being assaulted. Gary Police told him they did not appear to be on the cameras at the Jackson home, he said. The man said he was 'baffled,' noting they had pictures and a selfie — the latter was shown in court. In detailed testimony, the teen recalled what happened. As her dad was ordered to get the car, still at the Jackson home, the assailant — who she also identified as Barnes — told her to touch his genitals over his clothes. Once in the car, he forced her to sit on his lap, then touched her breasts. 'I was very scared,' she said. In the car, she told him she was a virgin. When they got to the overgrown field, he told her to kiss him, then forced her to perform the sex act. 'It was horrifying,' she said. 'It was disgusting.' At that moment, she dropped the two phones she was carrying in the field. Realistically, there was no way she could have safely called 911, she said. Later, they walked toward Broadway Avenue. He told the girl to hold his hand and pretend she was his girlfriend. He talked briefly to three people he appeared to know. How long are you going to keep me, she later asks. Six months, Barnes replied. 'I'm telling (him) I can't do this,' she told Deputy Prosecutor Tara Villarreal. 'I have to go to school.' When they started to hear police helicopters, Barnes took her to Washington Street. She said she was hungry. He texted another man to come over, who took their order and returned later with food. Barnes fondled the girl behind the home, she said. She continued to talk to him, hoping it would distract him. 'I have things I'm passionate about, I want to pursue,' she said. 'I need to keep myself alive.' By then, in a city she didn't know, the girl was considering her options. Right at the time she thought it might be best to make a run, a police officer showed. The trial continues this week.
