Man publicly vilified on social media in Jazmine Barnes case found dead in jail cell

HOUSTON – A man, who was public vilified on social media after a sketch was released of him as the suspect involved in the Jazmine Barnes case, was found hanged in his jail cell July 24, the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office confirmed.

Robert Cantrell was once the subject of scrutiny after people on Facebook and Twitter recognized that the man portrayed in a sketch released at the time resembled him. He was serving time in jail for other previous crimes he committed.

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It was first reported by police that the man in the sketch was the gunman who was driving a red pickup truck. 

A police sketch shows the man accused in the shooting death of Jazmine Barnes.

Investigators said Jazmine was shot in the head on the morning of Dec. 30, 2018 when someone opened fire into her family’s car, with her mother and three sisters also inside, on the East Sam Houston Parkway feeder road near Wallisville Road. Jazmine’s mother was injured. 

It was later discovered by a tip given to investigators that two other men were actually the ones involved in the shooting. One of the men, Eric Black, 20, admitted to taking part in the fatal shooting, investigators said. Larry Woodruffle, 24, was also charged with capital murder in connection with Barnes' death. 

Larry Woodruffe (L) and Eric Black Jr. (R) have both been charged in the shooting death of Jazmine Barnes.

Timeline: Here's how the Jazmine Barnes case developed


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