07/17/2025
This is a story that has been ongoing, affects members of one of our communities (HOME TEAM) and has recently encountered an unfortunate setback.
"Help the Barbieri Family After Tragic Loss and Injustice
The past few years have been unimaginably hard for Rowan Barbieri who is 23 and on the autism spectrum. In January 2024, his parents, Dan and Kelly, were sent to prison for a cannabis offense. Everything that could go wrong with their case has. Nothing makes any sense.
Recently, Rowan's older brother Keegan had been sick for 9 days. He was unable to hold anything down and refused to let Rowan take him to the ER because he didn't have health insurance. After helping Keegan Friday night, Rowan checked on him Saturday morning, July 12th and found Keegan dead. Navigating the aftermath—dealing with authorities, funeral arrangements, and overwhelming grief and shock without his parents—has left Rowan reeling.
Dan and Kelly have always been devoted parents, especially in supporting Rowan. Years of therapy were very beneficial. Rowan, has managed to keep the household afloat, with help from friends and family. But just ten days before Keegan's death, he was laid off. Now, with no income and mounting funeral expenses, the Barbieri family urgently needs our support.
How You Can Help
We are asking for your help to cover funeral costs and essential living expenses. Even if Dan and Kelly are paroled as they should be according to their time served—a process being championed by advocates like Kate Boccia of the National Incarceration Association—they will need time to grieve, heal, and rebuild before returning to work. Right now their release is not looking promising. Any amount you can give will make a real difference.
Why This Matters
Dan and Kelly’s story is one of injustice. The police raided Kelly and Dan's home in 2018, tearing it apart, holding them at gunpoint, terrifying their son Rowan and their pets instead of doing a simple "knock and talk". Dan had an 8x10 grow room. He had stockpiled cannabis to use for barter if and when the economy crashed. Their life savings was confiscated. They were not drug trafficking. The police chief in a nearby county said if this had happened in his county, they wouldn't have even wasted taxpayer funds to prosecute. They have real criminals to deal with.
The prosecution never tested the level of THC in the cannabis they confiscated and therefore did not prove their case. Even crazier still, you can walk into any convenience store or gas station in Georgia and buy vials of THC.
Their attorney talked them out of taking a plea deal for no jail time. She was overconfident she could beat this. Unfortunately, the attorney failed to explain "jury nullification" clearly and the jurors came back saying they didn't know they could nullify the law. The jury also made it clear to the judge they didn't want Dan and Kelly to serve any jail time.
The Georgia prisons commissioner said he didn't want first-time, non-violent offenders in the prisons.
Kate Boccia showed that inmates with special needs children like Rowan, were supposed to be paroled immediately.
Dan and Kelly's employers were character witnesses and both asked the judge for no jail time, saying that Dan and Kelly were vital to their operations.
But Judge Suzanne Smith ignored everyone and sentenced them to 10 years, with 3 years needing to be served. Neither were even given the opportunity to make statements before sentencing.
In February 2024, a month into their sentences, Smith signed an order for "Early Release". Turns out that order is not worth the paper it's printed on. It was just a ploy to get Barbieri supporters off her back. Their PED- Parole Eligibility Date was December 2024. Why are they still being held?
That's the back story. Please help this family. No amount is too small.
Rowan has lost his brother, and his parents remain behind bars for what many view as a trivial offense. The family is devastated and struggling to survive.
Please Help
No donation is too small. Your kindness will help the Barbieri family cover funeral costs, basic living expenses, and hopefully reunite them in their time of greatest need.
Thank you for reading, sharing, and supporting this family in crisis."
Help the Barbieri Family After Tragic Loss and Injustice The… Patricia Aiken needs your support for Support the Barbieri Family After Tragedy and Injustice
