Mother Says Surveillance Footage of Her Home Being Robbed Shows Son’s Killers

Francine Barnes believes the same men who broke into her home on Monday morning also beat her son to death. Charles Barnes was found dead later that day.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — A mother who was attacked by two robbers at her home believes video surveillance footage of the robbery proves her son gave his life to protect his mother and her home.

Two suspects entered Francine Barnes’ home at 12:30 a.m. on Monday as she slept on the couch. When she woke up, she had a gun to her face and a man asking her for the code to deactivate her alarm system, which was going off as the two entered the home. When she refused, they pistol whipped her, knocking her back as they made their way through the house, as she recounted to FOX 8 Cleveland.

Barnes’ son, Charles, was found dead Monday afternoon in the trunk of his car. Francine Barnes believes the two attackers confronted Charles outside of his mother’s home asking for the code, and when he didn’t give it to them, they beat Charles to death, just steps away from where his mother slept.

“We got ’em on camera, we’re gonna get ’em,” Barnes said.

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The video footage shows one of the attackers make his way to one room of the house as if he knew where he was going, raising suspicions that the attacker knew the family.

“They obviously knew [Charles’] habits or where things were in the house,” said East Cleveland Commander Scott Gardner. He also added that police believe they have several usable prints from Charles’ car.

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