Police say Newell's phone showed she called Barr at 11:15 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 28, and that her phone was in St. Cloud at 7:19 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 29. Her phone stopped working shortly after that, according to the criminal complaint.
On Saturday, Sept. 17, an informant told police that Barr had admitted to killing a woman. Barr had told the informant that the woman had stolen a pound of meth from him and hid it in the woods. When he couldn't find it, he dragged the woman to the woods to get the drugs, but she either couldn't or wouldn't retrieve them, according to the criminal complaint.
Family members of Michelle Newell said they hadn�t had contact with her since Monday, Aug. 29.
Ramsey County Sheriff's Office
Barr told the informant that the woman hid from him under his car and that he accidentally drove over her, killing her. Barr said he put the woman's body in the trunk of his car and drove up north to dispose of the body, according to the informant.
Another informant told police that Barr came to the informant's home on Tuesday, Sept. 20, and said he was in "big trouble" and "never getting out this time," according to the complaint. Barr again admitted to accidentally killing the woman and said they were going to South Dakota to sell meth to her associates. In that version, Barr said the woman refused his sexual advances and hid from him under his car, where he accidentally killed her.
Investigators learned that Cass County deputies had contact with Barr at 4:25 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 31, near Interstate 94 in North Dakota. Deputies say they were called because a property owner saw Barr lying in a ditch and that Barr's vehicle, which had apparently broken down, was parked on the caller's land.
Deputies say Barr told them several different stories about why he was on private property, including that he and his girlfriend pulled off the interstate to have sex but that the car broke down; he said she was eventually picked up by her "real" boyfriend, according to the criminal complaint.
Barr returned to the Twin Cities metro, and another informant told police that Barr was seen cleaning his vehicle on Friday, Sept. 16, in West St. Paul. That informant said Barr also admitted to accidentally killing the woman and said Barr intended to flee to Mexico.
On Sunday, Sept. 18, police found Barr and tried to stop him, but he fled in the vehicle. Police say they found the vehicle abandoned in St. Paul. A K-9 tracked Barr's scent to a nearby address, but Barr was already gone, according to the criminal complaint.
Barr was eventually arrested Tuesday, Sept. 20. He has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder and one count of criminal vehicular homicide.
Court documents show Barr has multiple prior felony convictions, many of which were drug-related.
Police have yet to find a crime scene or Newell's body.
Barr's vehicle is being processed by the BCA.
