Curtis Davis-Barnes has been handed a life sentence for killing his friend during a game of poker. The 38-year-old was found guilty of first-degree murder by a jury and given a life-long prison sentence by Arapahoe District Court Judge Darren Vahle.
Curtis Davis-Barnes Jailed for Poker Game Murder
UPDATE: Curtis Davis-Barnes (DOB 101883) is wanted in this case for First Degree Murder. Associated with a ’07 gray BMW 525 license CPL-238. CONSIDERED ARMED AND DANGEROUS, DO NOT APPROACH. If you see him immediately call 911 #APDNews pic.twitter.com/bpY6YlmBUE
— Aurora Police Dept (@AuroraPD) December 26, 2019
Davis-Barnes was playing poker with 39-year-old Aarion Derritt in the early hours of Christmas Day in 2019 and was said to have lost between $600 and $700 before becoming extremely angry.
Several friends had gathered in the basement of a Colorado house to play poker and dice, when the furious Davis-Barnes marched upstairs to get a handgun before returning to shoot Derritt.
Derritt was blasted multiple times, once in the head and several times in his torso, before Davis-Barnes emptied the money out of Derritt’s pockets and fled.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Jason Siers said:
“By all accounts, Mr. Derritt did nothing to provoke the defendant. He did nothing to instigate a confrontation or incite any violence. He was playing a game, and he ended up shot dead when he should have been able to go home and celebrate Christmas.”
District Attorney John Kellner added:
“It’s hard to believe that a friendly holiday gathering would end in murder, but that it is exactly what happened here. This defendant was unhappy that he was losing a game, so he calmly retrieved a firearm and shot the victim to death. I am glad we were able to obtain justice for the family of the victim, although nothing will bring back Mr. Derritt.”
Not the First Poker Game Shooting
This isn’t by far the first shooting at what started as a friendly poker game. Similar stories from all over the world constantly appear in the media.
Sometimes it’s pure robbery; sometimes it’s pure anger at losing money that should never have been on the table in the first place.
Only last year Charquan Edwards, from New York state, was found guilty of shooting an 83-year-old player at a high-stakes poker game back in 2015.
The prosecution alleged that Edwards lost his cool over a hot winning streak that turned sour in a 2015 trial that was ultimately dismissed for procedural errors. A 2021 retrial resulted in Edwards facing a 20-year stretch.
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