ORLANDO - A felon who was a witness to the fatal beating of inmate Frank Valdes and was set to testify in criminal cases in St. Lucie and Martin counties was shot to death.
Michael Barron, 28, was shot in the Orlando suburb of Pine Hills early Saturday after driving north from Fort Pierce with his girlfriend and a male friend, Orange County sheriff's investigators said Tuesday.
Barron was followed for about 3 miles before he was cornered by unknown gunmen in a compact car, investigators said.
His sedan was shot up several times from the rear, and Barron died after hitting a mailbox and a parked car. His girlfriend and friend were unharmed.
Barron served time in state prison for attempted first-degree murder and other crimes. He was a witness to the 1999 beating death of death row inmate Frank Valdes.
In interviews with investigators at the time, Barron said he could hear Valdes' skull hit the cell floor and watched a guard's boot repeatedly kick an unconscious Valdes in the groin.
Eight prison guards accused of killing Valdes were acquitted last year, but a civil suit by Valdes' family against them is pending.
Barron was to testify against a Fort Pierce career criminal who twice beat first-degree murder charges and faced an attempted murder charge at a coming trial. Assistant State Attorney Rick Seymour said Barron also had appeared recently before a Martin County grand jury in an arson-murder case.
"The question is, was he killed to keep him from testifying?" Seymour said. "We have no evidence of that at this point. Police are looking at this very hard."
