Man who ‘sucker punched’ and killed well-known barrel rider gets no jail time

A 22-year-old man in Alabama convicted of killing a well-known 23-year-old barrel racer and horse breeder — who died after being “sucker punched” while out drinking with friends — will not go to jail despite admitting to slaying the victim.

Barrel racing is a rodeo event wherein a horse and rider attempt to run through a preset course of barrels in the fastest time.

Calhoun County Judge Timothy Burgess on Monday ordered Corey Duran to serve a suspended sentence of 10 years for the 2021 killing of Colten Farley, The Birmingham News reported. Duran will have to serve five years of probation, beginning immediately. Should he violate his probation, he may still have to serve some or all of his suspended sentence.

Duran, who was 19 at the time of the incident, previously pleaded guilty to one count of reckless manslaughter in connection to Farley’s death

Burgess also ordered Duran to abstain from consuming alcohol for six months.

According to a report from The Anniston Star, Duran and Farley on March 21, 2021, were both with a group of individuals who were out for a night of barhopping on Noble Street. A fight reportedly broke out at about 12:30 a.m. and at some point during the fracas, Duran punched Farley in the head.

The Birmingham News reported that Farley was leaving the a bar called the Dark Horse Saloon when he was knocked to the ground by someone related to Duran. The two knew each other and the incident appeared to be ending without violence when Duran came running out of the bar and “sucker punched” Farley in the face.

Following the punch, Farley went down and hit his head on the pavement, knocking him unconscious for a brief period. Officers with the Anniston Police Department and emergency medical personnel were dispatched to the scene, but said that Farley refused additional medical treatment at a local hospital.

Instead, Farley went back to a friend’s house with several other individuals. The following morning, Farley’s friend’s said they found him unconscious on the floor of the home and were not able to wake him up.

Farley was transported to a local hospital and, due to the severity of his condition, was airlifted to the University of Alabama Birmingham Hospital. Farley was rushed into emergency surgery where doctors tried to relieve the pressure on his brain, but he succumbed to his injuries five days later and was pronounced dead.

A GoFundMe page to help pay for Farley’s medical expenses greatly surpassed its $5,000 goal, raising more than $18,000.

Shortly after Farley’s death, Anniston Police Chief Nick Bowles spoke to the Birmingham News about the incident, saying, “There were words exchanged. All of the people involved are loosely associated with each other, they know each other.”

A civil lawsuit filed after Farley’s death alleged that Duran had “a reputation for drinking and fighting” at the bars in the area.

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