The Murder of Julie Barnes was the murder of Julie Barnes executed by the Cleaning Crew who did it in order to ensure Benjamin Poindexter remained loyal to Wilson Fisk.
Background[]
- "I don't know what strings you had to pull to get that waitress a job, but it was a waste of your time. Yeah, they train us in counterintel at Quantico. You really think I'm gonna fall for some bush-league honey trap? You got it in your head that she means something to me. But she doesn't. She doesn't mean shit to me."
- ―Benjamin Poindexter to Wilson Fisk[src]
While manipulating the FBI to restore his criminal empire, Wilson Fisk became interested in Benjamin Poindexter and decided to create a new villain for New York City out of him. Fisk researched Poindexter's background and found out that he had been stalking Julie Barnes, with whom he used to work at Brooklyn Suicide Prevention Center. He arranged for Barnes to get a job as a waitress at Presidential Hotel, so she would run into Poindexter, catching him completely off-guard. Meeting Barnes at the bar, Poindexter sat down for a talk with her, but accidentally slipped out about some details about her he was not supposed to know. Distrurbed by the realization that Poindexter was her stalker, she excused herself and ran away, sending Poindexter into an emotional breakdown.[2]
He quickly realized that Fisk was behind it and confronted him at his suite, saying that he sees through Fisk and his manipulation would not work on him. Fisk replied that he empathized with Poindexter's attempts to properly fit the society but said that his bond with Barnes was never genuine and he was the only person who truly understood Poindexter. He later found out that he was relived from duty, as the FBI launched an internal investigation on his conduct, and Poindexter lost the structure he needed to keep himself in check.
Julie Barnes agrees to help Benjamin Poindexter
Poindexter considered suicide, but was contacted by Fisk comforted Poindexter when he was at his lowest point and offered him his help. As Fisk's manipulation succeeded, Poindexter donned the replica of Daredevil's Suit and impersonated Daredevil, killing Jasper Evans before his testimony, and numerous New York Bulletin employees.[3] Later on, he tried to approach Barnes once again, coming clean about his stalking and explaining his situation, as well as his mental issues. Barnes was still scared, but emphatized with his struggles and promised that she would help Poindexter.[1]
Murder[]
- "What do you think she'd say if she knew about the innocent people you killed? I bet she'd be disappointed, Dex. If she were still alive."
"If you... If you hurt Julie..."
"Fisk had her killed. He killed Julie, so he could replace her as your North Star." - ―Daredevil and Benjamin Poindexter[src]
While monitoring Julie Barnes, Wilson Fisk realized that she might able to get Benjamin Poindexter out of his control and decided to get rid of her. He ordered Felix Manning to have his Cleaning Crew assassins at Presidential Hotel hallway, being prepared to kill Barnes. Barnes walked into the hallway and saw the assassins, assuming that they were cleaners and asked if the landlord let them in. One of the assassins then got behind her back and shot her in the head with a silenced gun, putting her body in the wrapper to conceal the evidence. Manning then took her phone and responded to Poindexter's message that Barnes does not want to see him anymore, before blocking his number, so Poindexter would assume that he was all alone and became loyal to Fisk.[1]
Aftermath[]
- "Why are you telling me this?"
"'Cause Fisk wants to get married tonight. And I don't think he deserves a life of happily ever after." - ―Benjamin Poindexter and Daredevil[src]
To ensure Benjamin Poindexter would not find anything, Wilson Fisk ordered Felix Manning to have the Cleaning Crew assassins killed as well, hiding their and Julie Barnes' bodies at an abandoned location. When Daredevil kidnapped and interrogated Manning, he found out about Barnes and what she meant for Poindexter, as well as the location of her body. He used Manning's phone to call Poindexter and told him that Fisk had Barnes killed, giving him the address. Poindexter did not believe him initially but once he went to the storage to check, he found the bodies of the assassins and Barnes herself, which sent him into a breakdown again.
Benjamin Poindexter brings Julie Barnes' corpse to Presidential Hotel
He initially assumed that Daredevil killed her, but he pointed out at Fisk's manipulations on Poindexter, making it clear that Fisk was the one responsible. Daredevil then said that Fisk is getting married to Vanessa Marianna that night, pushing Poindexter to take his revenge by killing Fisk. Poindexter donned the Daredevil's Suit and drove to Presidential Hotel with Barnes' frozen corpse, getting through the FBI security and broke the wedding ceremony. However, Daredevil followed him and stopped Poindexter from killing Fisk and Marianna, resulting in Poindexter having his back broken in an unsuccessful attempt to kill Fisk.[4]