Shirley Duncan-Barnes, far right, was killed early Sunday morning when a man in a stolen car crashed into her at Lee Road and Cloverside Drive, police said. Duncan-Barnes had just left her 30th class reunion where this picture was taken, said Cassandra Ward, who is pictured on far left.Cassandra Ward
CLEVELAND, Ohio — A 20-year-old man was sentenced Wednesday to 14 years in prison for carjacking a reveler at a West Side church festival last year, then killing a Maple Heights mother leaving a high-school reunion party in car crash.
Common Pleas Judge Kelly Gallagher handed down the sentence to Brian Burns Jr., who pleaded guilty last month to aggravated vehicular homicide, aggravated robbery, and drunken-driving charges in the Sept. 3 crime spree.
Burns attacked a 71-year-old man at West 33rd Street and Paris Avenue outside the festival and stole cash and the man’s 2005 Chrysler.
Burns sped off, and was still driving fast on Lee Road when he drove through a red light at Cloverside Avenue.
Brian BurnsCleveland police
Shirley Duncan-Barnes had just left her 30-year reunion for the 1986 graduating class of Jane Addams Business Career Center at H20 Lounge. She and her longtime friend Cassandra Ward were going to another bar in Cleveland, but missed a turn and pulled into the Lee-Harvard Plaza, court records say. She was pulling out of the plaza when Burns slammed into the side of Duncan-Barnes’ 2011 Dodge.
The impact forced Duncan-Barnes’ car to spin completely around, and propelled her through the brick wall of a music store.
Several people tried to help her by kicking in the window to her car, but were not successful. Cleveland firefighters and paramedics were called to the scene. Duncan-Barnes was later pronounced dead, and Burns was rushed to MetroHealth, where he recovered from his injuries and was released into police custody.
Burns has been in jail since his arrest on $1 million bond.
Gallagher sentenced Burns to 10 years in prison for the aggravated vehicular manslaughter charge, and 4 years on the aggravated robbery charge, to be served consecutively. She also handed down a six-month sentence on the drunken driving charge, but allows him to serve the sentence at the same time as the rest of his sentence. Gallagher also imposed a lifetime driving ban on Burns.
The man who was carjacked went to the sentencing hearing but declined to speak in court, and no relatives of Duncan-Barnes spoke.
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