A Mobile woman facing a manslaughter charge in connection with the 2013 shooting death of her boyfriend could resolve her case with a blind plea when she returns to court next month, according to her attorney.
Candis Barren, 27, who lived in the 1400 block of Gulffield Drive, appeared briefly before Mobile County Circuit Court Judge Sarah Stewart this week. She is scheduled to return to court Jan. 15 to formally enter a plea on the manslaughter charge stemming from the September 2013 shooting.
Mobile police say Barren unintentionally shot 28-year-old Louis McMillian on Sept. 2, 2013, while handling a handgun in a reckless manner. The shooting occurred at a residence in Mobile and led to a manslaughter charge against Barren in the months that followed.
Attorney Jason Darley, who represents Barren, described his client as deeply affected by the case. “She’s devastated about it,” Darley said outside the courtroom this week. “She’s distraught about it. She comes from a good family, great mother. It’s devastating to the family.”
Darley said discussions between his office and the Mobile County District Attorney’s Office have been ongoing, but no formal plea agreement has been reached. If Barren ultimately enters a blind plea in January, prosecutors will not make a sentencing recommendation to the judge, leaving the decision entirely in the court’s hands.
“The (district attorney) and I have had meetings about it,” Darley said. “She has not agreed to anything yet. The state has not made an offer. Based on the evaluation of the evidence, we’re likely looking at possibly resolving it via blind plea.”
The case has moved through the Mobile County court system for more than a year, with this week’s hearing setting the stage for a resolution date in mid-January. Court officials confirmed the case remains assigned to Judge Stewart’s docket, with the manslaughter charge tied specifically to the September 2013 shooting.
Manslaughter cases involving allegations of reckless rather than intentional conduct, as prosecutors have described in this case, often move toward blind pleas when both sides are unable to reach a negotiated sentencing agreement. The outcome of Barren’s January court date will determine what sentence, if any, a judge imposes in connection with McMillian’s death.