Months after allegedly telling a friend he “had to get rid of” his girlfriend, a Wisconsin man has been charged with her murder.
On March 25, Dane County prosecutors formally charged 25-year-old James Barnes-Morris with first-degree intentional homicide with a domestic violence modifier. The charge comes six months after his 24-year-old girlfriend, Brooke Stratton, was found dead in a Madison pond.
According to a search warrant obtained by WKOW, Barnes-Morris allegedly made the incriminating statement on the night of September 30, 2024—the last day Stratton was seen alive.
The warrant also revealed that the couple had a heated argument at a friend’s house days before her disappearance. A witness told police that Stratton, fearing for her safety, later stayed at another friend’s home, where she confided that she believed Barnes-Morris “was truly going to kill her.”
Stratton was last seen leaving that location around 7 a.m. on September 30. The Madison Police Department reported that she was spotted walking with a man identified as Barnes-Morris that same morning.
Later that day, Barnes-Morris allegedly visited another friend, appearing wet with bloody scratches on his legs. According to detectives, he told this friend, “I had to get rid of her,” and mentioned needing “more bricks and rope,” adding that “the weeds made it hard.”
When questioned by detectives about these statements, Barnes-Morris reportedly laughed before requesting a lawyer.
Stratton’s body was recovered from a pond on October 3, 2024. That same day, police arrested Barnes-Morris, who was found hiding in a friend’s basement with Stratton’s credit cards and cellphone.
In January, after reviewing case files and autopsy results, police referred charges to the district attorney’s office. Barnes-Morris remains in custody at Dodge Correctional Institution and is set to appear in court on March 28.
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