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“The Barefoot Witness”: 20/20 Reports on Lyntell Washington Homicide May 22 2026

Ryan Gill

ABC’s 20/20 revisits the murder of Louisiana educator Lyntell Washington in the rebroadcast of The Barefoot Witness, airing Friday, May 22, 2026, at 9/8c on ABC and streaming the next day on Disney+ and Hulu. Reported by Deborah Roberts, the two-hour special examines a case that began with a child found alone in a parking lot and ended with a murder conviction built on phone records, witness statements, forensic evidence, and the words of a 3-year-old girl.

The episode looks at how Washington’s death exposed a secret workplace relationship, a hidden pregnancy, and a motive prosecutors said centered on fear and self-preservation. At the heart of the case was Washington’s young daughter, whose statements about “Mr. Robbie” helped investigators identify Robert Marks, an assistant principal at Brookstown Middle Magnet Academy, as the man responsible for killing her mother.

Who Was Lyntell Washington?

Lyntell Washington was a 40-year-old Baton Rouge educator, mother, and respected member of her school community. She worked at Brookstown Middle Magnet Academy and had built a reputation as a dedicated teacher who cared about her students. She had also been recognized as Teacher of the Year at a previous school, a sign of the respect she earned in education.

Washington was also a single mother raising her young daughter. By June 2016, she was pregnant with another child. Friends later said she had discovered that Robert Marks, the married assistant principal with whom she had been involved, was not leaving his wife as she believed. That discovery created tension in the days before her death.

A Child Found Alone With Blood on Her Feet

The case began on June 9, 2016, when Leslie Parms found Washington’s 3-year-old daughter wandering barefoot in a Baton Rouge parking lot. The child had dried blood on her feet and was near her mother’s blood-stained car. Washington herself was missing.

The little girl gave adults one of the case’s first major clues. She said “Mr. Robbie” had hurt her mother and had put blood in the car. Those words drew attention because “Mr. Robbie” was the name she used for Robert Marks. Her statements became central to the investigation.

The Search for Washington

Authorities launched a large search after Washington disappeared. Crews searched by air, land, and water across several areas of south Louisiana, including Baton Rouge, Baker, Zachary, St. Francisville, and Ramah. The search ended with a grim discovery.

Washington’s body was found on June 14, 2016, in an irrigation ditch near a sugar cane field in Iberville Parish. She had been shot in the head. Her body was decomposed, and officials used DNA to confirm her identity. Her unborn baby also died as a result of Washington’s death.

The Secret Relationship With Robert Marks

Investigators learned that Washington and Marks had been involved in a secret romantic relationship. Marks was married at the time. Friends said Washington believed Marks and his wife were separating, but she later learned he was still with his wife.

Washington was pregnant with Marks’ child. According to accounts presented in the case, she wanted him to be honest about the relationship and his responsibilities toward the baby. Prosecutors argued that Marks feared exposure and saw Washington’s pregnancy as a threat to his marriage and public image.

Evidence That Pointed to Marks

Marks told investigators he had been with Washington the night before her daughter was found, but detectives found problems with his account. Cellphone records placed phones connected to Marks and Washington in the Ramah area near the time prosecutors believed the killing occurred. The phones then returned toward Baton Rouge, near where the child was found.

Investigators also uncovered evidence that Marks had communicated with another woman, Tramica Jackson, on the night Washington disappeared. Jackson cooperated with police and said Marks asked her to pick him up near the area where Washington’s daughter was later found. Authorities said Jackson had no involvement in the murder.

The Toddler’s Statements Became a Key Part of the Case

Washington’s daughter was interviewed by a forensic child interviewer after the killing. In that interview, she described hearing a “bang,” seeing her mother shake, and saying her mother was asleep near water. Prosecutors argued that her account matched the physical evidence, including the fact that Washington had been shot and found in a ditch.

At trial, prosecutors played the child’s recorded interview for the jury. Washington’s daughter was also called to the stand for limited questions, in part so the video evidence could be admitted. Her words gave the case its title, The Barefoot Witness.

The Charges and Trial

Marks faced charges including second-degree murder, first-degree feticide, kidnapping-related charges, illegal use of a weapon, and obstruction. The case was tried in Iberville Parish after earlier proceedings in East Baton Rouge Parish.

During the trial, prosecutors argued that the evidence formed a clear picture of guilt. They pointed to the affair, Washington’s pregnancy, her threat to tell Marks’ wife, cellphone data, the child’s statements, and inconsistencies in Marks’ police interviews. The defense argued the case was circumstantial and noted that no murder weapon had been found.

Conviction and Sentence

In December 2021, the jury convicted Robert Marks after about 30 minutes of deliberation. The verdict brought a legal resolution more than five years after Washington’s death.

Marks was later sentenced to life in prison without parole. The conviction confirmed prosecutors’ argument that Washington had been killed because Marks wanted to hide the affair and the pregnancy.

The Lasting Impact on Washington’s Family

The murder left Washington’s daughter without her mother and forced her family to confront grief, trauma, and a long criminal case. After the killing, the child lived with her father, Darren Glasper, who has spoken about helping her process the loss.

Washington’s friends and relatives have remembered her as a loving mother and committed educator. Her death affected not only her family, but also the school community where she had worked and the students she had helped.

Why “The Barefoot Witness” Remains Powerful

The Barefoot Witness stands out because the case turned on the voice of a child who survived a traumatic night and gave investigators the clue they needed. Her statements did not stand alone, but they helped guide detectives toward the evidence that would later be used in court.

ABC’s 20/20 frames the case as a story of betrayal, violence, and accountability. It also highlights Lyntell Washington’s life beyond the crime: a teacher, a mother, and a woman whose death exposed secrets that ended in a courtroom conviction.

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