SIDNEY — Investigative documents obtained by the News Center 7 I-Team are shedding more light on the moments before a 27-year-old Sidney woman was stabbed and ultimately killed last month.
Brianna Wilson died after Sidney Police said Riley Barger, 20, stabbed her at a home along Fourth Avenue the afternoon of Feb. 5. Wilson died after medics rushed her to Wilson Health.
Barger is in jail charged with voluntary manslaughter after officers said he stabbed Wilson multiple times.
Last week, WHIO reported Wilson’s father had questions for investigators about the case – notably, about how police were at the scene that afternoon, but left just minutes before what turned out to be the deadly attack.
“Eight minutes after the last police officer clears the scene, she takes her last breath,” Doug Wilson told News Center 7 March 9. “That’s unacceptable.”
>> RELATED: Father of stabbing victim questions officers’ actions leading up to his daughter’s death
Wilson told News Center 7 last week this all started as a dispute between Wilson, and Barger, who he said was her cousin. Wilson said his daughter was allowing Barger to stay with her temporarily, although had decided to ‘kick him out’ of the house. The dispute happened Feb. 5 when Wilson, he said, boxed up Barger’s belongings and put them outside the home, and the situation escalated.
This week, the I-Team obtained a police report detailing Wilson’s case. Police were initially called to the home because of the dispute. One officer wrote in the report Wilson told them, “Riley was supposed to be there for a few days but he’s been there for over a month.”
According to the report, officers told Wilson, “Since (Barger) lives there, he was allowed to gain entry any way he needed to,” which included “even breaking a window,” as Barger and Wilson had apparently discussed with officers. Police suggested Wilson “have him evicted” through the municipal court system, and “explained to her that we could not keep him out of the house and neither could she because he had a legal right to be there.”
Officers did note, in the report, a disturbance involving a window, possibly broken or knocked off its tracks as the argument between Brianna and Barger continued. Police noted in the report, Barger “eventually made entry into the residence.” Officers apparently cleared the scene around that time.
Shortly after, police received the 911 call reporting Brianna had been stabbed.
Last week, Sidney Police Chief William Balling told the I-Team the department “reviewed the case,” and determined “the officer’s actions were appropriate,” declining to comment further due to the case being active in the courts.
Doug Wilson said he has reached out to the Ohio Attorney General’s office. Wednesday, a spokesperson for Attorney General Dave Yost told the I-Team their office is not involved in the case. And only would get involved upon the Sidney Police Department or local prosecutor’s request.
Cox Media Group
