Jury finds Perez Cleveland guilty of first-degree murder in Jennifer Barrett's death

Perez Cleveland guilty of first degree murder Josh Crabb reports on strong words heard in court following a guilty verdict over the killing of Jennifer Barrett.

A judge had harsh words for a 46-year-old man found guilty of first-degree murder in the death of a woman whose body was found in a barrel filled with chemicals outside a Winnipeg home.

Jennifer Barrett, 42, died in August 2016 after the Crown said she was assaulted for days in the basement of the home she shared with her now convicted killer and four other women.

A jury found Perez Cleveland guilty of first-degree murder after deliberating for a little more than 3.5 hours.

Members of Barrett’s family gasped as the jury foreperson read out the verdict.

Manitoba Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Glenn Joyal told Cleveland he deserves “every second, every minute, every month” of his mandatory life sentence for which he won’t become eligible for parole for at least 25 years.

“You are about to receive a much-deserved mandatory punishment of 25 years,” Joyal told Cleveland. “You were by any estimation a curator of a house of horrors.”

It was the Crown’s position Cleveland, who court heard was in a relationship with Barrett and four other women with whom he shared the home, intended to assault Barrett due to jealousy because he believed she was having an affair.

Citing testimony provided by other women who lived in the home, the Crown argued Barrett was beaten for several days in the basement of the home, left the home briefly before she was found in an inoperable car in the yard and returned to the home where Cleveland resumed his assault on Barrett in the laundry room before she fell over.

The Crown said Cleveland poured water on her and used a Taser on Barrett. When she didn’t revive, they argued he put her body in a plastic tote, moved it into the garage and ordered two other women to dispose of her remains.

During sentencing Crown attorney Chris Vanderhooft detailed a lengthy list of previous convictions Cleveland racked up across Canada and the United States for assault, uttering threats towards women and fraud.

Court heard Cleveland lived in the US from 2000 to 2004 before returning to Canada.

“Basically the whole time he was there he was in and out of trouble with the law,” Vanderhooft told court. “The reason we’ve put them (his convictions) before you is to show his behaviour, particularly as an abuser if that term is strong enough, has been consistent for many years.”

Cleveland apologized for what happened to Barrett. Members of Barrett’s family turned their heads away from him as he spoke in court.

Outside court, Jennifer’s father Dave Barrett said justice has been served.

“I always will miss her,” said Barrett. “It’s hard to lose a child in a natural way, I mean by being sick, but to lose a child the way in which my daughter lost her life is not normal.”

Family members described in victim impact statements how Barrett was a nurse, a mom and a sister.

Jennifer’s aunt Madeline Quelle recalled camping trips with Jennifer and sitting around the fire drinking wine.

“I would love to see your smiling face and hear your voice,” said Quelle. “Unfortunately, that has been taken away from us.”

“Never in a million years did we think we’d be sitting in a courtroom listening to how you spent the final days of your life.”