EMILY BARNARD - 3 yo - Johnson City TN

The Hawkins Co. Sheriff's Office said in a press conference that it will charge 25 year old Amber
Gibson in the death of 3 year old Emily Barnard following the release of an autopsy.




Barnard died Monday morning in Johnson City after what Sheriffs call a devastating case of child abuse.
They believe Gibson committed the abuse while she was watching Emily.
Emily's dad Erik Barnard first told police the girl had fallen and hit her head. Family tells us her
body was badly bruised, they do not believe it was an accident.
The autopsy could be released as early as Friday, charges will come soon after.

http://www.volunteertv.com/news/headlines/126266368.html

http://www2.tricities.com/news/2011/jul/27/hawkins-county-woman-will-be-charged-death-three-y-ar-1201226/
By: David McAvoy
Published: July 27, 2011
» 11 Comments | Post a Comment
HAWKINS COUNTY, Tenn. --

Hawkins County Sheriff Ronnie Lawson was very somber during a news conference Wednesday afternoon. "It's a tragedy," he said, speaking of the death of 3-year-old Emily Madison Barnard. Emily was airlifted from Mooresburg to Johnson City Medical Center Saturday, after deputies found her badly beaten. She died Monday afternoon.

Lawson believes they have the woman responsible for beating Emily in custody. 25-year-old Amber Beth Gibson, the girlfriend of Emily's dad, Eric Barnard, was arrested Saturday on a warrant for especially aggravated robbery. But she will soon face charges in Emily Barnard's death. Lawson says he won't know what charges will be placed on Gibson until autopsy results come back to determine the exact cause of death. But he is certain Gibson played a role. "She was treated for extensive head injuries and bruises all over her little body," said Lawson, "it's a tragedy."

Family and friends carried flowers to the Sheriff's Office Wednesday. "We're here to see justice is done," said Teresa Harmon, Emily's great grandmother. "Personally, I think jail is too good for her," said Harmon, when asked about Amber Gibson. "Emily's not going to get the chance to get three meals a day, and a place to sleep," said Harmon, "I'll never see her graduate or her first day of school, I'll never get to see her walk down the aisle and get married, she took that away from me."

Sheriff Lawson says his department will do everything in their power to make sure justice is done, and it may include others besides Gibson. "This little girl suffered," said Lawson, "and we're going to do our best to see that Miss Gibson or anybody else involved get what they deserve."

Amber Gibson has been charged
with First Degree Murder and Aggravated Child Abuse related to the death
of three year-old Emily Barnard, the Hawkins Co. Sheriff's Office
announced on Tuesday.



The toddler died in late July after what the
Sheriff's Office described at the time as a devastating case of child
abuse. Authorities suspected Gibson committed the abuse while she was
watching Emily.
The girl's father, Erik
Barnard, initially told authorities Emily had fallen and hit her head.
Barnard and Gibson were reportedly dating at the time. Meanwhile, other
family members told Local 8 News Emily's body was badly bruised and
they did not believe her death was an accident.



Barnard had lost custody of Emily
previously after drug charges against him, but at the time of her
death, the girl was once again living with Barnard and Gibson.
http://www.volunteertv.com/news/headlines/Murder_charges_filed_in_death_of_3_year-old_Emily_Barnard_135511183.html?ref=183

http://www.timesnews.net/article/9039464/rogersville-woman-charged-with-murder-of-boyfriend39s-3-year-old-daughter

ROGERSVILLE — Courthouse sources said Amber Beth Gibson sat in her jail cell cheerfully playing cards as Hawkins County Sheriff Ronnie Lawson told the world Gibson has been charged in the beating death of 3-year-old Emily Madison Barnard.

When Emily’s father, Eric Barnard, received the news shortly after a Tuesday press conference he began to cry, according to his attorney, Mark Stapleton.



Tuesday morning Lawson announced that Gibson, 25, 2005 Route 31, Mooresburg, has been charged with first-degree felony murder and aggravated child abuse in the July 23 beating of Emily, which resulted in the child’s death two days later on July 25.

Authorities told the Times-News following her death, however, that the child was brain dead on July 23 and was kept alive for the purpose of forensic investigation, to monitor healing of her injuries which established a timeline for when the injuries occurred.

It was nearly five months overdue, but the autopsy report was finally released to the sheriff’s office and prosecutors on Friday, in time to be presented to the Hawkins County grand jury Monday. It stated that Emily died of multiple blunt force trauma to the head.

Gibson had been suspected of killing Emily since day one. She was Eric Barnard’s girlfriend at the time and was reportedly baby-sitting the child the morning of July 23.

The Hawkins County Sheriff’s Office was waiting for the autopsy report to arrive before charging Gibson, who has been held in the Hawkins County jail on an unrelated robbery charge since July 23.

Shortly before the press conference was to begin Tuesday morning, Judge John Dugger signed a gag order in the case. Lawson stated during the press conference he is now prohibited from discussing evidence in the case.

Prior to the gag order being signed, however, Lawson described Emily’s death as one of the most heinous events he has witnessed in his 30-plus-year law enforcement career.

Emily suffered bruises all over her body including massive head injuries.

“This child suffered,” Lawson told the Times-News in July.

Gibson’s bond has been increased from $250,000 for the robbery charge to $500,000, and she is scheduled for arraignment on the murder and child abuse charges in Hawkins County Criminal Court on Feb. 3.

Gibson will also appear in criminal court Thursday for arraignment on a new, unrelated robbery indictment handed down Monday by the Hawkins County grand jury that stems from the beating and robbery of an elderly Rogersville man in June 2010.

The morning of July 23, Hawkins County rescuers responded to a call of an injured child at a camper residence on Barnard Road off of Route 31 in the Mooresburg community in far western Hawkins County.

Gibson was living in that camper with Emily’s father and Emily. Police say that when rescuers arrived, they found Emily suffering bruising all over her body, as well as severe head injuries.

Investigators said Gibson was baby-sitting Emily at the time the injuries occurred while Eric Barnard and Eric’s father, Bill Barnard, were out working, clearing brush.

Bill Barnard was Emily’s legal guardian, and Emily was supposed to be living with him at the time of her death.

Gibson allegedly stated to police initially that Emily had acquired the injuries from a fall. Emily was flown via rescue helicopter to Johnson City Medical Center, where she died from her injuries the afternoon of July 25.

Lawson previously told the Times-News that Gibson was suspected of causing the injuries because she was the only person with Emily at the time the injuries are believed to have occurred.

Eric Barnard, who is currently working out of state with his father, declined to speak to the Times-News Tuesday about Gibson’s charges, although he did authorize his attorney, Stapleton, to answer some questions on his behalf.

Stapleton said he spoke to Eric Barnard shortly after Gibson’s charges were announced. He said Barnard immediately broke down crying and has been on an emotional roller coaster ever since with feelings ranging from anger to sadness to guilt.

The charges against Gibson didn’t provide Eric Barnard or other family members relief, however, because they know this is only the beginning of the ordeal, Stapleton added.

“I can anticipate, having tried these murder cases, that their emotions will continue to be on a swing because of the testimony they will hear, the photographs they will likely encounter,” Stapleton said. “This is long from over with regards to Eric Barnard and his family.”

Stapleton said he didn’t discuss with Eric Barnard if he feels guilt about bringing Gibson into the life of his daughter.

“I’m sure his heart is broken at different levels,” Stapleton said.

Any fond feelings Eric Barnard had for Amber Gibson disappeared when she called him July 23 to say Emily had been injured, Stapleton said.

“I think his emotions turned at that moment and continue to get further away from Amber,” Stapleton said. “I think he’s glad that the sheriff’s department has her instead of him. I’ll say it that way. He’s very angry.”

No motive for the beating of Emily Barnard has been released to the public, but drugs are suspected to be a major problem in Gibson’s life.

In the June 2010 aggravated robbery case, Gibson is accused of actually striking an elderly man over the head with a tire iron from behind before taking $300 in cash, despite the fact that she allegedly had two male accomplices.

Gibson is also charged in the December 2010 blind date robbery of a man with the intent of stealing the man’s pain medication.

A female accomplice allegedly set Gibson up on a blind date with a man known to be disabled and on pain medication. During the date, Gibson allegedly asked the man about his pain medication, sent text messages, and then lured the victim to a rural location where two other male accomplices allegedly robbed the victim with a shotgun.

Lawson said he commended the “hard work and dedication” of his detectives, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Attorney General Berkeley Bell’s office, the Department Of Children’s Services, medical staff at Johnson City Medical Center, and the Division of Forensic Pathology at the Quillen College of Medicine “to get this serious and tragic investigation where it is today.”

Gibson pleads guilty in death of 3-year-old
By: TriCities Staff | TriCities.com
Published: March 30, 2012

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. -- Guilty of first degree murder. That's the plea from Amber Beth Gibson in the death of her former boyfriend's three year old daughter.

Gibson entered that plea today in a Greene County courtroom.

She also plead guilty to two counts of robbery.

Her sentence will be 60 years on the murder, 15 years for one robbery and eight years for the other robbery. Those sentences will be served consecutively. That’s a total of 83 years, she could serve as little as 85 percent of that time.

The Hawkins County Sheriff's office charged Gibson in December for the July beating death of Emily.

The child died of severe head injuries.

The sheriff said Emily had been left in the care of Gibson.

To hear from Emily's mother and grandmother clicked the attached link.



http://www2.tricities.com/news/2012/mar/30/gibson-pleads-guilty-death-3-year-old-ar-1807126/



Thank you to a guest who PMed us, notifying us of the plea.