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Ashley Barlow was a 37-year-old mother of three and a probation officer in Beaumont, Texas. She worked for the Jefferson County Department of Probation, where she began as a clerical assistant in 2012 and rose to the position of probation officer by 2016.
Ashley filed for divorce in October 2021 to start anew. But her regained freedom made her ex-husband, Terry Barlow, jealous as he began to secretly track her.
On October 23, 2021, in a parking lot on Langham Road, a confrontation between Terry and Ashley ended in a fatal shooting captured by surveillance cameras. He opened fire on his wife a total of 17 times, killing her on the spot.
This case is featured in American Monster season 13, episode 3, titled Weight Control. The episode aired on November 11, 2025, on Investigation Discovery.
American Monster: Five horrifying facts regarding the Ashley Barlow case
1) The hidden GPS tracker that exposed obsessive monitoring
Ashley Barlow and Terry Barlow had separated in October 2021 due to continuous marital problems. Terry had placed a GPS tracking device on Ashley’s car, suspecting her of having an affair, as reported by KFDM. This device enabled him to track her location in real-time.
On October 23, 2021, this tracker took him to the 600 block of Langham Road in Beaumont, Texas, where Ashley Barlow was seen with a male acquaintance. During the interview, Terry freely admitted to placing the device. In his explanation, he made sure to note that it fed his anger, since the data showed her movements that he did not approve of.
Family members discussed how Ashley Barlow’s growing independence clashed with Terry’s possessiveness, according to News12. Evidence that the investigators recovered confirmed how the tracker played its role in modern tools associated with stalking cases.
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2) A tense argument that escalated into an armed return
The encounter began when Terry, aided by GPS, arrived at the lot unexpectedly at approximately 5:54 p.m. on October 23, 2021. He observed Ashley Barlow with the other man and began a verbal argument outside the business. Witnesses described the scene as Terry being visibly hostile and loud, with threatening accusations.
At some point during the confrontation, he displayed a handgun threateningly, but did not immediately shoot. He retreated to his truck, driving away and leaving Ashley Barlow and the man shaken. But this pause was short-lived.
Security cameras from two nearby businesses captured the entire sequence of events, including the sound of raised voices and Terry’s departure. A few minutes later, he turned around, his rage having been further amplified, according to News12.
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3) Seventeen shots were fired in a frantic foot chase
The moment Terry returned to the scene, the situation exploded into chaos. He jumped from his truck, pulled out his Smith & Wesson .40-caliber pistol, and started a foot chase after Ashley and the male acquaintance. The man fled and hid behind the building, uninjured. Ashley Barlow tried to run, too, but Terry quickly closed in.
Over the next moments, he fired 17 shots in total, using both his own gun and Ashley’s .380-caliber handgun, which he had taken from her earlier. Bullets struck Ashley multiple times in the chest as she tried to flee. The whole pursuit was recorded on the security camera, which police viewed almost immediately afterward.
Terry disposed of the .380 handgun in the vicinity of Laurel Street, he would later admit. All this gunfire was unleashed in a public parking lot, posing a risk to innocent bystanders, as per KFDM.
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4) Desperate pleas heard on video as shots rang out
The footage of the chase captured Ashley Barlow’s voice, screaming and begging Terry to stop. She specifically called out for the sake of their three young children, highlighting the personal stakes. Despite her cries, Terry continued, firing nine shots at close range, including three while she lay on the ground.
She collapsed from wounds to her chest, with emergency responders pronouncing her dead at the scene. The video’s audio captured her words clearly: pleas mixed with his yells. Beaumont Police secured the area swiftly, preserving the recordings that showed no signs of resistance from Ashley Barlow. In the sentencing hearing, the prosecutor Phillip Smith called the crime “senseless and brutal murder,” as per KFDM.
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5) A full confession
After briefly fleeing, Terry came back to the scene and turned himself in without incident. At the station, he waived Miranda and fully confessed to the GPS use, weapons, and intention to confront, as well as a suicidal plan that failed. He showed remorse, stating that he “really messed up” and ruined his and his children’s lives, as per the affidavit.
Charged with murder and aggravated assault, he pleaded not guilty in April 2022 but changed his plea to guilty in January 2023 as part of a plea that capped his sentence at 50 years.
Judge Raquel West sentenced him to 50 years for murder and 20 years for assault on April 3, 2023; both were concurrent terms, according to News12. Terry is currently in prison, with his parole eligibility in 2046.
A GoFundMe campaign helped offset Ashley Barlow’s funeral expenses.
Watch American Monster season 13, episode 3, available on Investigation Discovery.
Also read: 5 harrowing details about Matt Garcia’s murder ahead of Who Killed the Councilman? on ID
Edited by Riya Peter
