U.S. Marshals 15 Most Wanted Fugitive Killer and Escapee Captured in California

Washington, D.C. – A convicted killer and prison escapee who was added to the U.S. Marshals Service 15 Most Wanted fugitive list just 11 days ago was arrested Monday in California.

Two alert Los Angeles police officers arrested Keana Barnes after they came across her near the area known as Skid Row. After initially refusing to identify herself, Barnes confessed her identity and said she was wanted for escaping from a Louisiana prison.

Her arrest ends a multi-agency, nationwide search for the convicted killer who escaped from the Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women in January. Barnes was discovered missing and prison officials found broken glass from the window in her cell. Barnes was serving a 25-year sentence after being convicted on two counts of manslaughter in 2002.

“The apprehension of Keana Barnes bodes well for the safety and security of our citizenry. I am personally gratified by the effort put forth by the entire law enforcement community in securing her arrest,” said U.S. Marshal Kevin Harrison, Middle District of Louisiana. “Movies often portray running from the law as a glamorous, carefree adventure – the truth of the matter is nothing can be more stressful. I have no doubt the pressure applied by the U.S. Marshals made her life extremely difficult from the minute she ran to the minute she was caught.”

Barnes has a criminal history dating back to 1999 with prior convictions for aggravated assault, battery, theft and manslaughter. In March 2002, she was arrested by the New Orleans Police Department for fatally stabbing her victim 17 times. One year later in March 2003, pending the outcome of her murder trial, Barnes shot and killed a man while he slept in a New Orleans apartment.

“An extremely violent criminal history landed Barnes on our 15 Most Wanted list,” Assistant Director for Investigative Operations William D. Snelson said. “Thanks to the tenacity of our criminal investigators and Los Angeles Police Department’s quick action, law enforcement has taken another dangerous fugitive off the streets.”

"I would like to thank all local, state and federal law enforcement authorities for their valuable assistance in the search for and capture of offender Keana Barnes, especially the Los Angeles Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Service," said Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Correction Secretary Jimmy Le Blanc. "The Department of Corrections will bring Barnes back to Louisiana as soon as the court allow