Wilburton woman convicted of stabbing mother to death; sister hoping for maximum prison sentence

A Wilburton woman is hoping for justice after her sister was convicted of murdering their mother.

Tracy Mannon pled guilty to second degree murder in federal court and her sister is hoping she will serve the maximum sentence behind bars.

Linda's Story

Linda Barnes was found stabbed to death outside her home in Wilburton in February of 2024.

Melissa Junell, Barnes’s daughter, says the past year has been a rollercoaster of emotions for her family and they are hoping something like this never happens to another family.

Junell remembers the moment she learned her mother had been killed.

“He said, ‘your mom’s gone,”’ said Junell. “I said, ‘what happened?’ ‘She’s been stabbed to death.’ My first thought was, ‘where’s Tracy?’”

Junell says her mother did everything she could to help Mannon.

“When Tracy served time in prison the first time, it was my mom that made sure she had money on her books, made sure she had everything she needed, went for visits,” said Junell. “We drove hours. There were times that we had to spend the night in a hotel.”

Junell says her mother was a good mother- a church leader, funny, and loved spending time with her grandkids.

“She was fun,” said Junell. “People in this community, she was just loved. Her and my dad pastored a church here for 30 years. They helped people. They served their community. They served the Lord and they served man.”

Junell just hopes her sister will spend the rest of her life in prison.

“My message to the judge, is please have mercy on our family,” said Junell. “Tracy deserves no mercy. She’ll receive mercy from God, because that’s who God is, but she does not deserve mercy from the court. She did not give my mother any mercy.”

Tracy Mannon

Investigators called to the house found Tracy Mannon inside the home washing dishes.

Mannon admitted she hit her mother with a vacuum cleaner then stabbed her repeatedly and did not feel any remorse for doing it.

Mannon took a plea deal and was convicted of second-degree murder in federal court.

Mannon was tried in federal court because she is a member of the Cherokee Nation.

News On 6 reached out to Mannon's federal public defenders but did not hear back.

Slipping Through the Cracks

Mannon was charged in Muskogee County in 2023 with domestic assault and battery by strangulation after investigators say she tried to strangle her daughter with a rope.

Prosecutors had to dismiss the case because of the United States Supreme Court ruling on tribal jurisdiction.

The Muskogee County District Attorney, Larry Edwards, told News On 6 in 2024 he sent the case to the U.S. Attorney’s Office because strangulation is a major crime under federal law.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruling states the U.S. Attorney’s Office has to decide first whether to file the charge or move the case to tribal court.

Edwards says he sent the records to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office says they got the information from Edwards and tried to send it to the Muscogee (Creek) Nation twice through email, but it did not go through.

Muscogee (Creek) Nation Attorney General Geri Wisner told News On 6 in 2024 it is not the job of the U.S. Attorney’s Office to send them information, and it should have been sent to her office directly because of cross-deputization agreements.

Wisner said at the time her office received two strangulation cases from the DA’s office and both of them were prosecuted.

Edwards said at the time where he sends cases depends on whether the crimes are considered major crimes under federal law.

Junell says Mannon told her family the case was dismissed because it had no merit.

“She moved in with my mother right after that event and convinced my Mom that it was nothing, and that the case was dismissed because it was nothing, when we found out later the case was dismissed by the State of Oklahoma because it was supposed to be turned over to the tribal courts,” said Junell.

Junell says she hopes nothing like this ever happens to another family.

“I believe what my mom would want is for this to never happen to anyone else again,” said Junell. “That something this horrible would fall through the cracks, and then the ultimate happens. She would not want that.”

What's Next?

Mannon will be sentenced at a later date.

Junell says she plans to read a victim impact statement.

“I want the judge to know who my mom was, I want the judge to know how this has affected not only our family, but this whole community,” said Junell.

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