You still think she has a chance, huh?Barrett taunting the BAU about the woman he is suspected of murdering
James “Jimmy” Barrett is the main antagonist of the Criminal Minds episode “J.J.”. Barrett is a rapist and attempted murderer of classmate Kate Joyce, one of two prime suspects along with his best friend Syd Pearson.
He was portrayed by Christopher Marquette.
Biography
Barrett was born to a blue-collar family who moved to Atlantic Beach, where he met Pearson in middle school. In spite of their social classes, they became friends because of their inherently aggressive personalities. They worked at the same jet-ski rental and racked up a criminal record, including shoplifting, property damage, arson, and assault. Pearson’s connections helped the two of them escape punishment each and every time. The two of them met Kate at their place of employment, and later, Pearson took Kate to a hotel room from a party and had sex with her. Barrett also wanted sex from her, but she refused. After Pearson left, Barrett raped Kate, drugged her, and sailed out on his boat to drop Kate in the ocean alive, in a region where sharks frequented. Barrett tore out his boat’s GPS to make sure no one would find it.
Barrett and Pearson are the obvious prime suspects in her disappearance, and the Behavioral Analysis Unit are hailed to assist in interrogation. Pearson brags about his time with Kate, so he seems much more suspect originally, until Barrett becomes more visibly hesitant in interrogation when he tries to lying about even knowing Kate. Barrett is put on a polygraph, which he passes, but the questions he was asked he answered truthfully yet evasively, to say he didn’t personally kill Kate, nor know where she was after he stranded her. Kate, who is revealed to have swam to a buoy to wait things out, is eventually successfully rescued in one piece, and as a result, Barrett is arrested and incarcerated.
Trivia
- Kate’s rape and attempted murder are inspired by real-life cases:
- The disappearance of Natalee Holloway, who was most likely killed by Joran van der Sloot by throwing her into the ocean.
- The murder of Heather Rich, a high school student who had sex with her boyfriend, then was gang-raped by his friends before they killed her and threw her into the Red River.
- Ryan Hoyt, the murderer of Nicholas Markowitz at the instruction of his accomplice, drug dealer Jesse James Hollywood.
External links
- James Barrett on the Criminal Minds Wiki