Pierre Collins' murder trial set for January

He is charged with killing his 10-year-old son.

July 8, 2015 at 12:22AM
Pierre Collins, at left, holding one of his children.
Pierre Collins, at left, holding one of his children. (Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

A January trial date has been set for Pierre Collins, the Crystal man accused of killing his 10-year-old son, Barway.

During a seven-minute hearing Tuesday afternoon, Hennepin County Judge Tanya Bransford set several court dates, including Collins' trial for Jan. 4, 2016.

Collins waived his right to a speedy trial so his lawyers have ample time to prepare for trial. His trial is likely to last 2½ to three weeks, Bransford said.

Barway's birth mother, Louise Karluah, and stepmother, Yamah Collins, were both in the courtroom, along with several people who helped organize searches for the boy.

After the hearing, Yamah Collins acknowledged Karluah with a quick hello as several people gathered around and placed their hands on Karluah's arms and shoulders.

Barway went missing on the afternoon of March 18 after getting out of a school van in front of the Crystal apartment in which he lived with Pierre, Yamah and two younger children. Yamah Collins reported him missing that evening. Community members organized searches for the boy as law enforcement focused on his father.

Barway's body, bound with duct tape, was found in the Mississippi River in Brooklyn Center in April. Police found a knife near the body, according to a search warrant.

Cellphone records and surveillance video link Collins to the crime scene, according to court documents.

Father and son immigrated to Minnesota from Liberia a few years ago. The boy's birth mother, Karluah, traveled from Monrovia, Liberia, to attend the funeral.

Collins, who is being held in the Hennepin County jail on $2 million bail, is being represented by the Hennepin County public defenders office.

His next court date will be Oct. 19.

Karen Zamora • 612-673-4647

Twitter: @KarenAnelZamora

This April 14, 2015, booking photo provided by the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office shows Pierre Barlee Collins, who is charged with second-degree murder in the death of his son, Barway. A criminal complaint cited cell phone location data that police said places him, on the day the boy disappeared, near the spot in the river where the fourth-grader's body was found. (Hennepin County Sheriff's Office via AP) ORG XMIT: MIN2015041813362106
Collins (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
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