NASSAU COUNTY, Fla. – The man accused of fatally shooting two people in a Walgreens parking lot not far from The Players Championship has been in and out of jail 27 times, according to his criminal record.
According to those court records and the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, 32-year-old Christian Barrios’s extensive criminal history spans both Duval and St. Johns counties, consisting primarily of drug possession and theft-related charges.
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Barrios was arrested Saturday after the shooting at the Walgreens at the corner of Palm Valley Road in Ponte Vedra. Investigators said the shooting stemmed from a domestic violence dispute.
“You can see that the vast majority of his crimes all dealt with some form of theft and/or some form of drug possession. We do not see an extensive history of violence in his past,” said Gene Nichols, attorney with Nichols and Pina Law Firm. Nichols is unaffiliated with the case.
Nichols, who is unaffiliated with the murder case, explained that judges handling Barrios’ previous cases had various options beyond incarceration, including:
- Bond release
- Probation
- Treatment programs
- Court-ordered conditions
“Multiple judges have given him opportunities, multiple judges, including in St. Johns County, have sentenced him to what were appropriate jail or prison sentences due to his different drug crimes,” Nichols said.
The criminal defense attorney also emphasized that nothing in Barrios’ record suggested he would commit such a serious, violent crime.
“He never rose to the level of this awful crime that has been committed now in St. Johns County,” Nichols noted.
“We just don’t see these types of crimes too often in St. Johns County,” Nichols said. “I think you can absolutely expect that the state attorney’s office will pursue putting this in front of a grand jury in order to indict him for first-degree murder and seek the death penalty, depending upon the facts.”
Barrios is currently being held without bond on two counts of first-degree murder.
Prosecutors are reviewing the evidence to determine how to proceed with the case.