‘Fearless’ prosecutor took on Dixie Mafia — and won. South MS lost ‘great one’
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- Barrett was a key assistant U.S. attorney in major Southern Mississippi prosecutions.
- After 20 years in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, he moved into private practice.
- On his death, colleagues and family praised his courtroom zeal, mentorship and integrity.
Peter Hickman Barrett, a key prosecutor in one of Mississippi’s most notorious modern-day murder conspiracies, has passed away at the age of 78 at his home in Gulfport.
The scrappy lawyer was working as an assistant U.S. attorney for Mississippi’s Southern District when he helped prosecute defendants whose conspiracy led to the murders of Circuit Court Judge Vincent Sherry and former councilwoman Margaret Sherry in their Biloxi home. The investigation into the couple’s September 1987 murders led to the convictions of Dixie Mafia members and Biloxi’s former mayor.
FBI Special Agent Keith Bell, now retired, oversaw the 10-year case through the investigation and three trials that resulted in convictions. Barrett helmed the first trial in 1991. Bell said some prosecutors were hesitant to take up the case, but Barrett plowed through the investigative material in FBI offices daily for weeks, including hundreds of interviews with members of the southeastern mob known as the Dixie Mafia.
Bell said he credits Barrett with the overall successful prosecution of those responsible for the Sherry murders in what is one of the most notorious cases in Coast history. “He stepped up to take it on when others would not,” Bell said.
After 20 years in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Barrett transitioned in 2005 into private practice at the Butler Snow law firm, where he joined another key player in the Sherry case, attorney James Tucker, who previously headed the U.S. attorney’s criminal division and also played a major role in the Sherry case.
Together, Tucker and Barrett represented State Farm Fire and Casualty Co. in insurance litigation after Hurricane Katrina. Barrett eventually established his own Gulfport law firm, where he defended criminal clients with the same zeal he had demonstrated as a prosecutor.
“He just loved being in court,” said his wife of 43 years, Fay Nobles Barrett. “He was not happy sitting in an office.”
Gulfport attorney avoided publicity
Although Barrett was devoted to his legal career, he also was an involved father to son William Carl “Bill” Barrett and daughter Susan Barrett Creegan. Peter Barrett attended all their sporting events and also found time to coach their soccer teams.
“For somebody who was so busy, he was a generous person,” Bill Barrett said. “He was still present. To me and Susan and my mother, he was just dad, and he showed up.”
Barrett was born and raised in Gulfport. He graduated from the University of Mississippi before attending law school there.
His obituary modestly notes: “Over his career, Peter tried a number of ‘firsts’ in federal criminal cases in Mississippi, including the first federal death penalty prosecution, the first federal wiretap case, and the first federal possession of child pornography prosecution.”
It goes on the say, “He famously avoided the spotlight in the newsworthy cases,” which was very true, as this reporter can attest, having covered the Sherry case. Like most federal prosecutors, Barrett refused to speak with the media. But he was always polite and friendly, never rude or arrogant.
Lawyer’s first duty to his client
His duty, he felt, was to his client, whether that was the U.S. government, a corporation or a criminal defendant, his son said.
“He was a great one,” said former assistant U.S. attorney and Jackson lawyer Joe Hollomon, who prosecuted the Sherry murder-conspiracy case alongside Barrett in 1991. “The most important cases prosecuted in the Southern District of Mississippi were handled by Peter Barrett.
‘He did a great job, just a fearless trial lawyer, always did the right thing,” Hollomon said.
Barrett and Hollomon shared many tense moments, but Barrett always found a way to lighten the mood.
“He was just a stand-up guy,” Hollomon said.
Barrett’s sister, Mary Elizabeth “Betty” Barrett, said that she was teaching school when Peter Barrett helped convince her that she needed to get a law degree. He helped support her through Ole Miss law school. After graduation, she enjoyed a career as an attorney.
His wife Fay was also an attorney and both their children followed them into the practice of law. Bill Barrett practiced with his father in Gulfport before receiving an offer to go to work for Tony Lawrence, then district attorney for Jackson, George and Greene counties.
Bill Barrett is an assistant district attorney in the office.
He said his father encouraged him to take the job under Lawrence because he thought it would be a good learning experience.
“He was like that,” Bill Barrett said. “His advice was what was best for us.”
Daughter Susan, now a busy mother of three in Texas, also spent time in practice with her father.
Bill Barrett said that his father led by example: “It was obvious that hard work and trust were important.”
This story was originally published February 22, 2026 at 3:27 PM.
