Baltimore Man Sentenced Life Prison Killing Roommate Former Basketball Star

Dayrel McFarland was sentenced to life in prison plus three years for the first-degree murder of his roommate, Jamal Barney, a former Loyola University basketball star, in Baltimore. The crime involved McFarland striking Barney in the head with a cinder block and hiding his body inside a mattress in a deserted home, where decomposition made identification difficult. Police were alerted after receiving anonymous tips and discovered blood evidence and cinder blocks near a large hole in the wall of the crime scene. A witness reported that McFarland confessed to the murder and led them to the scene, revealing Barney suffered for two days before dying. Barney was notable for his collegiate basketball achievements, including leading the MAAC in scoring and holding program records. Other evidence, including tattoo identification and forensic analysis, confirmed the cause as blunt force trauma to the head.