@writerbarton

Investigative reporter, USA TODAY; Host of the true-crime podcast Unsolved

usatoday.com/news/investigations/
Joined January 2009
  • Tweets17.5K
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  • Followers3.7K
4KMedia
Sexual Consent Laws Vary Widely Across States buff.ly/uaPlEX2

Sexual Consent Laws Vary Widely Across States

Allegations involving a Cornell University student are drawing attention to differing legal standards for how intoxication affects the ability to consent.

governing.com
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Woman who reported sexual assault sues UW-Milwaukee, Landmark Lanes buff.ly/xWEgAmr

Woman who reported sexual assault sues UW-Milwaukee, Landmark Lanes

Two men were charged with sexual assault. One was convicted; the other acquitted in a rare mid-trial dismissal. Now, the woman is suing.

jsonline.com
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175 years ago, a botched execution paved the way for Wisconsin to abolish the death penalty buff.ly/QayFjxC

175 years ago, a botched execution paved the way for Wisconsin to abolish the death penalty

Tennessee's governor has ordered a review after that state tried and failed to execute Christa Pike last week. In Wisconsin, another botched execution made headlines nearly two centuries ago.

wpr.org
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Much of Wisconsin is giving up on Flock, but Milwaukee holds on buff.ly/H29eHtf

Much of Wisconsin is giving up on Flock, but Milwaukee holds on

As Wisconsin law enforcement drop the controversial cameras, Milwaukee has tried to assure the public its continued use can be trusted.

jsonline.com
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EDITORIAL: We've all been quoted ridiculous amounts for public records, but this one takes the cake: Eugene Police Want $2.6 Million for Records buff.ly/x929qZU

EDITORIAL: The Eugene Police Wants DSM To Pay $2.6 Million for Records

Yes. You, dear reader, read the headline correctly. The Eugene Police Department has invoiced Double Sided Media for more than $2.6 million to fulfill two public records requests.  The grand t…

doublesidedmedia.com
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Marimar Martinez Sues Feds A Year After Border Patrol Agent Shot Her 5 Times buff.ly/EU94jjQ

Marimar Martinez Sues Feds A Year After Border Patrol Agent Shot Her 5 Times

A reconstruction of the shooting commissioned by Martinez’s legal team found agent Charles Exum was standing to the side of her car and was not in danger as he fired, her attorneys said.

blockclubchicago.org
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Gina Barton retweeted
Colin Miller@EvidenceProfOct 7
Curtis Flowers, the most aggressively prosecuted person in U.S. history, has tragically died at 56: mississippitoday.org/2026/10…

Curtis Flowers, wrongly imprisoned after enduring six trials, dies at 56

After Flowers was convicted in a sixth trial, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned it and a state judge dismissed capital murder charges against him.

mississippitoday.org
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Gina Barton retweeted
Olivia Messer@OliviaMesserOct 7
there are no words phoenixnewtimes.com/news/con…

Congressional candidate is raped while repairing her campaign signs

Embarrassed, she initially didn’t want to report attack. Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office's investigation is ongoing. A Phoenix New Times exclusive.

phoenixnewtimes.com
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Gina Barton retweeted
Corri Hess@CorriHessOct 7
Wisconsin sexual violence resource centers see more calls, donations amid Cornell case outrage via @WPR wpr.org/news/wisconsin-sexua…

Wisconsin sexual violence resource centers see more calls, donations amid Cornell case outrage

As the Cornell case draws national headlines, the head of a Madison-based resource center calls for a cultural shift in how schools and the public approach sexual assault.

wpr.org
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As other cities drop Flock, Milwaukee police intend to renew contract buff.ly/4op9Pt4

As other cities drop Flock, Milwaukee police intend to renew contract

A Milwaukee budget official's email says the department intends to renew its contract with Flock at the "appropriate time."

jsonline.com
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Milwaukee police officer charged with fourth-degree sexual assault buff.ly/Vdy4si5

Milwaukee police officer charged with fourth-degree sexual assault

The Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office has filed criminal charges against Nathan D. Enk, of South Milwaukee, a seven-year veteran of MPD.

jsonline.com
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Domestic violence has increased in 2026, CPD data shows buff.ly/P2nVtBK

Domestic violence has increased in 2026, CPD data shows

Cincinnati Police crime statistics show more than 1,600 domestic violence incidents through August this year. That's 200 more than the same time frame last year and 300 more than 2024.

wvxu.org
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New statewide sexual assault kit tracking system to launch in Pa. buff.ly/Ehv6hKd

New statewide sexual assault kit tracking system to launch in Pa.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) — Pennsylvania is getting set to roll out a new program aimed at helping victims of sexual assault and bringing those committing the crimes to justice. A new statewide …

abc27.com
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2 killed, 35 injured in mass shooting at Georgia block party buff.ly/0KWNLLZ

2 killed, 35 injured in mass shooting at Georgia block party

Two people were killed and 35 were wounded when gunfire broke out at a block party in Georgia on Oct. 4, law enforcement officials said.

usatoday.com
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Four Kids in One Faith-Healing Family Died. Authorities Could Do Nothing. buff.ly/ULX6dnz

Four Kids in One Faith-Healing Family Died. Authorities Could Do Nothing.

An exemption in Idaho law shields faith-healing parents from criminal prosecution for conduct that otherwise would be charged as neglect. It also keeps police and social workers from stepping in to...

propublica.org
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The Flock Backlash Catches Up to the Tech buff.ly/nwgDwtW

The Flock Backlash Catches Up to the Tech

From statehouse bans to audit workarounds, governments are scrambling to police the license-plate readers they rushed to install.

themarshallproject.org
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Oakland police released from federal oversight after 23 years buff.ly/MV3qSK8

Oakland police released from federal oversight after 23 years

The Riders case exposed brutal beatings and corruption. After many setbacks and new scandals, a federal judge ruled the city can finally take back full control of OPD.

oaklandside.org
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Cornell rarely expels students in sex assault cases | Exclusive buff.ly/AW11IKS

Cornell rarely expels students in sex assault cases | Exclusive

A third of undergraduate women say they've been sexually assaulted. But on average, Cornell reported expelling just one attacker per year.

usatoday.com
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Victims are ‘slipping through the cracks’ of Utah’s domestic violence law buff.ly/8sAG2s7
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N.Y.P.D. Officers Used Flock Safety to Track License Plates buff.ly/Vc80CuG

N.Y.P.D. Officers Used Flock Safety to Track License Plates

Public records show police officers used Flock Safety’s technology to make more than 1,700 searches. The department did not have a contract with the company.

nytimes.com
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