Gretna man found guilty in 2022 homicide, claims self-defense

GRETNA, La. (WGNO) — A Jefferson Parish man has been found guilty of shooting and killing his sister’s boyfriend in 2022.

The Jefferson Parish District Attorney’s Office announced Friday, June 23, that 43-year-old Jose Robles Marques was convicted of the second-degree murder of 42-year-old Jose Salomon Fernandez Barrientos.

Court documents revealed that on March 1, 2022, there was a reported argument between Marques’ sister and Barrientos at a Gretna home in the 1700 block of Newton Street.

According to a recount of the incident, the two were in their bedroom during the verbal altercation. Lawyers say Marques heard the argument, approached the doorway with a six-shot .38-caliber revolver in hand, and fired shots striking Barrientos, who was sitting on the bed, five times.

Defense lawyers for Marques say he shot in defense of his sister, who he claimed was a past victim of domestic violence. They argued he thought his sister was in danger and that the act was a justified homicide.

Reportedly, there was no evidence that his sister was in imminent danger.

In his statement to Gretna police after the incident, Marques indicated that when he entered the Fernandez’s bedroom, which he shared with Marques’ sister, Marques had already retrieved the firearm and loaded it. 

Additionally, Marques stated that he observed the victim and his sister separate prior to his firing the weapon until he ran out of bullets. As such, his shooting Fernandez was neither reasonable nor necessary.

The statement deemed his actions unreasonable and unnecessary.

After an hour’s long deliberation, a unanimous jury found Marques guilty. He is set for sentencing on June 28 and now faces a possible sentence of life without the possibility of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence.

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