Surprise attack ends in murder gone wrong

POLSON – Prosecutors believe Desmond Alan Mackay hid behind a garage side-door March 5 with his fist bitterly gripping a framing hammer over his head. Mackay waited for the moment, second by second, until the time to act arrived.

John Barrows, 67, Mackay’s father-in-law, was in the yard with his son, Jesse Waugh, tinkering with a car battery. Neither man knew Mackay was lying in wait, prepared to kill Jesse Waugh.

Mackay thought Waugh owed him money and he was going to get payment one way or the other.

Mackay, 36, stood, hammer in hand, as he watched the garage door open. When it began to swing Mackay grabbed the knob and pulled.

In the time it took for Mackay’s hand to allegedly swing his hammer of justice onto Barrows’ head, three lives changed.

And Barrows was down.

“Oh, $%#!, Sorry,” Mackay said, according to Lake County court records. Mackay realized immediately he’d struck the wrong man.

But the right man, Waugh, heard the commotion and ran to the garage to find his father bleeding heavily from the head and a hammer-swinging man headed at him.

Mackay raised the hammer again when Waugh entered the garage and allegedly swung it at his brother-in-law.

Waugh allegedly took the first hammer blow to the forearm and then another one to the face.

Another brother-in-law, James Hoskinson, called 911 and said Mackay and Barrows fought and Barrows, “was hurt real bad.”

Polson police officers arrived minutes later to find Mackay and Waugh fighting on the ground. But that time, Waugh was struggling to hold Mackay down.

“(Mackay) hit my dad,” Waugh yelled.

A framing hammer was lying in a snow bank near the struggle.

Barrows’ face was covered in blood and lying in the doorway, Unresponsive, Barrows family tried to hold a towel to the wound and stop the bleeding.

Once in custody Mackay told Polson police officers he didn’t mean to hit Barrows. It was Waugh he wanted, and Mackay said he hated Waugh and hoped he hit Waugh with the hammer.

Barrows was flown to Kalispell Regional Medical Center and was in critical condition, never regaining consciousness. Barrows died 10 days later.

The attack took place at 7:11 p.m., March 5 on 4th Avenue East. Barrows was 67.

Charged with one count of deliberate homicide and two counts of assault with a weapon, Mackay, 36, stood before Lake County District Court Judge Deborah Kim Christopher March 27 and pled not guilty.

He stood before her again on Aug. 28 for his arraignment on amended information. Mackay was charged with attempted murder before Barrows’ death.

Christopher said Mackay’s could not post bond.  His omnibus hearing is Dec. 8.