This case is crazy!
Lonna Barton, the mother of missing toddler Lonzie Barton, is expected to plead guilty Wednesday morning to one count of child neglect and one count of lying to police, a source has confirmed to First Coast News.
She is also likely to testify against Ruben Ebron, law enforcement’s principal suspect in the disappearance of Lonzie, according to the source.
A spokesperson for the Regional Conflict Counsel, who is representing Barton, has confirmed that she will enter a plea Wednesday morning at 8:30 a.m. Barton had been scheduled for a pretrial hearing at that time.
The trials against Ebron and Barton were scheduled to begin on Monday.
Jacksonville attorney Shannon Schott says what Barton says in court could make things tougher for Ebron’s attorneys.
“If she gets called to the stand, she could say things that implicate him for more than just child neglect and could mean murder charges, based on what she says,” Scott told First Coast News.
“As a defense attorney, we would impeach her on the fact that she made a deal to testify against our client or in this case Mr. Ebron’s attorney will probably do this,” she said.
“So the state thought that what she has to say is so relevant that even with her impeachment, the fact that she made a deal, they think it is still going to be good enough to convict Mr. Ebron.”
