By GAYLA CAWLEY
LYNN — George McBrier, accused of stabbing another man to death after an argument over money, was ordered held without bail during his arraignment on Monday.
McBrier, 50, pleaded not guilty to murder in Lynn District Court. He is accused of repeatedly stabbing Keenan Barr, 27, who was later pronounced dead at Salem Hospital.
Lynn Police responded to the altercation at 10:22 a.m. on Sunday at 145 Lewis St., Apt. 306, and found Barr, of Lynn, suffering from multiple stab wounds. The building is a 25-unit apartment complex, and McBrier lives in the apartment where the incident occurred, authorities said.
McBrier was treated at Union Hospital for non-life-threatening injuries before he was discharged and taken into police custody.
“The victim in this case appeared at the defendant’s home, 145 Lewis St., Apt. 306,” said Essex County Assistant District Attorney Katelyn Giliberti. “An argument regarding money ensued. The argument then turned physical. The defendant brandished a large knife and stabbed the victim multiple times, resulting in the victim’s death.”
John Morris, a court-appointed defense attorney for McBrier, said after the arraignment that he was not too familiar with the case, but that there is a potential for a self-defense argument. He pointed out that McBrier appeared in court with a badly cut hand that was bandaged, and had a black eye with stitches on it.
A police report from Lynn District Court reveals that McBrier confessed to the stabbing and outlines the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Police arrived after a report of a stabbing, and initially searched the building for a victim, and could hear a man’s voice from the third floor say “drop the knife.” An officer then saw a 51-year-old man at the bottom of the third floor landing with his hands in the air speaking to a man, at the top of the stairwell, who was identified as McBrier, court documents show.
McBrier was completely covered in blood and had a large knife in his right hand. The officer drew his gun on McBrier and ordered him to drop the knife. The suspect had a laceration on his left eye, and the knife was a Ka-bar style, court documents show.
After McBrier dropped the blood-covered knife, he stated “he had a gun. He had a gun.” Police determined that McBrier was the possible suspect after finding Barr with multiple stab wounds in Apt. 306. Police also found a blood-soaked floor in the apartment and blood smeared on the walls, along with bloody footprints on the rug, of the third-floor hallway outside the unit, court documents show.
McBrier told police that he was sleeping on his chair in the living room with a woman, when Barr, who he only knew as “Jamaica,” used a key to enter his apartment and told McBrier that he owed him money, and that he was there to collect. He stated that Barr had paid his rent the prior month, but that he had paid him back already, court documents show.
Barr then allegedly pulled out a handgun, pointed it at McBrier, racked its slide and punched McBrier in the face. Police later learned the weapon was a semi-automatic BB handgun, which was found on Barr’s waistband, court documents show.
According to McBrier, Barr went into his bedroom looking for money and came out with a machete. McBrier told police he backed up, but Barr punched him in the face again. McBrier then grabbed a Ka-bar knife that he keeps in his pants pocket and told police that “I stabbed him. I gutted him.” In a later police interview, he added that he had “just snapped” and started stabbing Barr, court documents show.
McBrier stated that Barr sold drugs and that he had bought drugs from him in the past. Things had been tense between the pair, he said, because Barr had been abusing him constantly since he paid his rent, court documents show.
Another woman who witnessed the stabbing told police that the argument was over money McBrier, whom she called Mac, owed for drugs. She said Barr, whom she also called Jamaica, pushed Mac, who recovered, pushed Jamaica, and said something about how he was sick of Barr pushing him. According to the woman’s statement, McBrier then pulled out a knife and started stabbing Barr repeatedly, court documents show.
McBrier returns to court on Aug. 17 for a probable cause hearing.
Gayla Cawley can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @GaylaCawley.