Ogdensburg Man Charged with Murder

RENSSELAER FALLS - An Ogdensburg resident faces charges of second-degree murder in connection with the death of a man discovered dead in a Rensselaer Falls residence last week.

John Free, 50, is charged with second-degree murder, accused of fatally striking John M. Barr, 58, in the head with blunt objects at Barr's residence, according to St. Lawrence County District Attorney Gary Pasqua.

Free is detained at the St. Lawrence County Correctional Facility in Canton without bail. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, May 28 at Gouverneur Town Court.

Authorities responded to Barr's residence on Heuvelton Street around 8:30 a.m. Thursday, May 16 for a welfare check, where they found Barr dead inside.

Pasqua clarified that while Free is a former employee of the Academy at Ivy Ridge, the murder investigation is unrelated to Ivy Ridge, characterizing them as distinct cases.

The Academy, a facility for behavioral modification of teenagers, operated in the town of Oswegatchie just beyond Ogdensburg from 2001 to 2009. It has garnered national attention through a Netflix miniseries titled "The Program: Cons, Cults, and Kidnapping. The three-part documentary features accounts from people who had been sent there as teens and allege physical, mental, and sexual abuse while involuntarily confined there.

In March, Pasqua and St. Lawrence County Sheriff Patrick "Rick" Engle held a press briefing following the miniseries' release, urging people who experienced abuse at Ivy Ridge to come forward and file formal criminal complaints.