Leo Garnes

Leo Garnes was a distance runner who competed in the 5,000 metres at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. He held five national distance running records for Barbados. He also ran in college in the United States, at Alabama A&M University.

Garnes became engaged to Nichol Grant, but the engagement was broken and they began feuding over custody of their young daughter. On 31 August 1999, Grant and her sister, Carla, were at Garnes apartment in Huntsville, Alabama along with several friends. Nichol Grant threatened and then attacked Garnes with a box cutter, but the friends and Carla pulled her off him. He retrieved a gun from his bedroom and when he returned to the room, was threatened again and shot and killed both Nichol and Carla Grant.

Garnes faced charges on a double murder, but he pleaded self-defense, stating that she had threatened him several times and he expected her to attempt to kill him. At trial the witnesses in the room supported his self-defense claim and he was found innocent of all charges after the jury deliberated for six hours.

Personal Best: 5000 – 14:20.2 (1992).