Ashley Barlow was a 37-year-old mom of three and a probation officer in Beaumont, Texas. She labored for the Jefferson County Division of Probation, the place she started as a clerical assistant in 2012 and rose to the place of probation officer by 2016.
Ashley filed for divorce in October 2021 to start out anew. However her regained freedom made her ex-husband, Terry Barlow, jealous as he started to secretly observe her.
On October 23, 2021, in a car parking zone on Langham Street, a confrontation between Terry and Ashley led to a deadly capturing captured by surveillance cameras. He opened hearth on his spouse a complete of 17 occasions, killing her on the spot.
This case is featured in American Monster season 13, episode 3, titled Weight Management. The episode aired on November 11, 2025, on Investigation Discovery.
American Monster: 5 horrifying details relating to the Ashley Barlow case
1) The hidden GPS tracker that uncovered obsessive monitoring
Ashley Barlow and Terry Barlow had separated in October 2021 resulting from steady marital issues. Terry had positioned a GPS monitoring machine on Ashley’s automotive, suspecting her of getting an affair, as reported by KFDM. This machine enabled him to trace her location in real-time.
On October 23, 2021, this tracker took him to the 600 block of Langham Street in Beaumont, Texas, the place Ashley Barlow was seen with a male acquaintance. Throughout the interview, Terry freely admitted to putting the machine. In his clarification, he made certain to notice that it fed his anger, because the knowledge confirmed her actions that he didn’t approve of.
Relations mentioned how Ashley Barlow’s rising independence clashed with Terry’s possessiveness, in keeping with News12. Proof that the investigators recovered confirmed how the tracker performed its function in fashionable instruments related to stalking circumstances.
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2) A tense argument that escalated into an armed return
The encounter started when Terry, aided by GPS, arrived on the lot unexpectedly at roughly 5:54 p.m. on October 23, 2021. He noticed Ashley Barlow with the opposite man and started a verbal argument outdoors the enterprise. Witnesses described the scene as Terry being visibly hostile and loud, with threatening accusations.
Sooner or later in the course of the confrontation, he displayed a handgun threateningly, however didn’t instantly shoot. He retreated to his truck, driving away and leaving Ashley Barlow and the person shaken. However this pause was short-lived.
Safety cameras from two close by companies captured your complete sequence of occasions, together with the sound of raised voices and Terry’s departure. A couple of minutes later, he circled, his rage having been additional amplified, in keeping with News12.
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3) Seventeen photographs had been fired in a frantic foot chase
The second Terry returned to the scene, the state of affairs exploded into chaos. He jumped from his truck, pulled out his Smith & Wesson .40-caliber pistol, and began a foot chase after Ashley and the male acquaintance. The person fled and hid behind the constructing, unhurt. Ashley Barlow tried to run, too, however Terry rapidly closed in.
Over the subsequent moments, he fired 17 photographs in complete, utilizing each his personal gun and Ashley’s .380-caliber handgun, which he had taken from her earlier. Bullets struck Ashley a number of occasions within the chest as she tried to flee. The entire pursuit was recorded on the safety digicam, which police seen virtually instantly afterward.
Terry disposed of the .380 handgun within the neighborhood of Laurel Avenue, he would later admit. All this gunfire was unleashed in a public car parking zone, posing a threat to harmless bystanders, as per KFDM.
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4) Determined pleas heard on video as photographs rang out
The footage of the chase captured Ashley Barlow’s voice, screaming and begging Terry to cease. She particularly referred to as out for the sake of their three younger kids, highlighting the non-public stakes. Regardless of her cries, Terry continued, firing 9 photographs at shut vary, together with three whereas she lay on the bottom.
She collapsed from wounds to her chest, with emergency responders saying her useless on the scene. The video’s audio captured her phrases clearly: pleas combined along with his yells. Beaumont Police secured the realm swiftly, preserving the recordings that confirmed no indicators of resistance from Ashley Barlow. Within the sentencing listening to, the prosecutor Phillip Smith referred to as the crime “mindless and brutal homicide,” as per KFDM.
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5) A full confession
After briefly fleeing, Terry got here again to the scene and turned himself in with out incident. On the station, he waived Miranda and absolutely confessed to the GPS use, weapons, and intention to confront, in addition to a suicidal plan that failed. He confirmed regret, stating that he “actually tousled” and ruined his and his kids’s lives, as per the affidavit.
Charged with homicide and aggravated assault, he pleaded not responsible in April 2022 however modified his plea to responsible in January 2023 as a part of a plea that capped his sentence at 50 years.
Decide Raquel West sentenced him to 50 years for homicide and 20 years for assault on April 3, 2023; each had been concurrent phrases, in keeping with News12. Terry is at the moment in jail, along with his parole eligibility in 2046.
A GoFundMe marketing campaign helped offset Ashley Barlow’s funeral bills.
Watch American Monster season 13, episode 3, obtainable on Investigation Discovery.
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Edited by Riya Peter