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The Wire

D'Angelo Barksdale was a crew chief in the Barksdale Organization and the nephew of Avon Barksdale.

Biography[]

Background[]

D'Angelo controlled the high-rise housing project at 221 West Fremont in Franklin Terrace. He was confronted by dealer Pooh Blanchard in the lobby and, in a panic, shot him in front of civilian witnesses. He was subsequently arrested and charged with first and second-degree murder. He remained in remand for eight months. ("The Target")

Season 1[]

During his trial, D'Angelo was represented by Maurice Levy and prosecuted by Taryn Hansen. While maintenance man William Gant testified, the organization coerced the other witness, Nakeesha Lyles, into recanting her testimony. D'Angelo was acquitted and welcomed home that night at Orlando's. The next day, Stringer, at Avon's command, demoted D'Angelo to running the trafficking in The Pit. There, D'Angelo supervised Preston Broadus, Malik Carr, Wallace, Cass and Sterling. D'Angelo identified counterfeit cash in Wallace's earnings and later appeared concerned by the brutal beating of the counterfeit cash's user, Johnny Weeks. That night, at Orlando's, D'Angelo asked Stringer if Johnny's beating was necessary and later flirted with dancer Shardene Innes. The next day, D'Angelo saw William Gant's corpse in the streets, realizing Avon had ordered his enforcers to murder Gant as retaliation for testifying against D'Angelo. ("The Target")

He was brought in for questioning by detectives James McNulty and Bunk Moreland, who trick him into writing a letter of apology to Gant's family. Levy arrives and stops him before he can write anything incriminating, and he is released. He questions his uncle, who evades his accusations and persuades him to remain loyal to the family.

Because of this, D'Angelo often struggles for control with his brutal teenage second-in-command Bodie. To gain respect for toughness, D'Angelo falsely claimed responsibility for a second murder, Avon's girlfriend Deirdre Kresson. In reality, D'Angelo had delivered drugs to Kresson and been an unwitting distraction while Roland Brice shot her.

D'Angelo has a son, Tyrell, by girlfriend Donette. She wants him to move in with her, but her nagging often drives him away. D'Angelo begins dating a dancer from his uncle's strip club, Shardene Innes, and lives with her for a short time, until Shardene finds out about Keesha, another stripper. The police tell her that Keesha had overdosed, died, and was left in a dumpster after attending a Barksdale crew party. She accuses D'Angelo of seeing her as trash that could easily be discarded, and moves out. She goes on to cooperate with the police unit investigating the Barksdale clan.

Under D'Angelo's firm leadership, The Pit begins to turn a good profit. It nevertheless becomes a cause for concern when its stash is stolen by Omar Little, and, the next day, the police raid. Their information is slightly outdated, and they raid a now abandoned stash house, but Detective Lester Freamon finds D'Angelo's pager number on a wall.

Stringer chastises D'Angelo for his sloppiness, and Avon places a bounty on Omar's crew. Wallace and Poot identify Omar's boyfriend, Brandon, in an arcade; D'Angelo relays the message to Stringer, who has Brandon captured, tortured and killed. D'Angelo and Wallace both become haunted by their role in the death of Brandon.

Relating to Wallace's aversion to the violence of their trade, D'Angelo developed a friendship with Wallace. When Wallace wants to leave the business after seeing the mutilated body of Brandon, D'Angelo is supportive and gives him money. Stringer begins asking after Wallace; D'Angelo senses that the boy is in trouble and asks Avon to leave him alone, reassuring him that Wallace is no danger to the organization. When Wallace returns and asks for his old job back, D'Angelo tries to get him to leave, but is unable to save him. Wallace is killed at Bell's orders, though D'Angelo remains unaware that Bodie and Poot killed him.

Based indirectly on information Shardene provided to the police, D'Angelo is arrested while running drugs from New York, and again interrogated. McNulty tells him Wallace is dead, and proves it with photographs. Stringer Bell comes to talk to him and as much as admits to ordering Wallace's execution. As a result, D'Angelo decided to refuse Levy's counsel and turn state's witness against the Organization. He tells them where Wee-Bey has fled to after shooting a police officer, and offers numerous details of his uncle's organization. However, a visit from his mother convinces him of his duty to his family, and he backs out of the deal. Due to his refusal to cooperate, he was sentenced to 20 years in Maryland House of Correction, along with Avon and Wee-Bey.

Season 2[]

While imprisoned, D'Angelo began to regularly snort heroin. Though he is now distant from his uncle, Avon protected him, and secured him a comfortable job in the prison library. ("Collateral Damage")

After Avon arranged to have the heroin supply laced with rat poison to incriminate CO Dwight Tilghman, he advised D'Angelo to abstain from heroin for a few days. ("Hot Shots")

After multiple prisoners died, Avon testified against Tilghman and received a reduced sentence. D'Angelo refused to take part in the plan and, disgusted by his uncle's callousness, declared that he wanted nothing more to do with his family. ("Hard Cases")

Donette visited D'Angelo, informing him that Stringer has been supporting her and will do the same for D'Angelo upon his release. D'Angelo is skeptical about Stringer's motivations. ("Undertow")

Stringer Bell, afraid that D'Angelo might inform on the organization, contacted Leech in Washington, D.C.. He arranged for his cousin to strangle D'Angelo to death with a belt in the back room of the library. Mugs makes it appear like a suicide by attaching the rope to the doorknob. ("All Prologue")

Post-Death[]

No investigation was launched; however, McNulty quickly realized that D'Angelo was murdered due to the strangulation marks on his neck. His death remained unresolved, however, Russell Bell was the only living person in Baltimore who knows who & how D'Angelo was murdered.

Murders committed by D'Angelo[]

Murders connected to D'Angelo[]

  • Deidre Kresson: Shot by Wee-Bey, D'Angelo tapped on the window to attract her attention for Wee-Bey to shoot her. (2001)
  • Brandon Wright: Tortured to death by Stringer, Wee-Bey, Stinkum and Bird. Wallace paged D'Angelo to let him know that he spotted Brandon at the pinball game which then D'Angelo rings Stringer to meet Wallace for Wallace to point him out. (2002)

Production[]

Appearances[]

Season 1
"The Target" "The Detail" "The Buys" "Old Cases" "The Pager"
"The Wire" "One Arrest" "Lessons" "Game Day" "The Cost"
"The Hunt" "Cleaning Up" "Sentencing"
Season 2
"Ebb Tide" "Collateral Damage" "Hot Shots" "Hard Cases" "Undertow"
"All Prologue" "Backwash" "Duck and Cover" "Stray Rounds" "Storm Warnings"
"Bad Dreams" "Port in a Storm"

References[]

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