Donnie Barksdale

Donnie Barksdale is the secondary antagonist of Sam Raimi's 2000 mystery film The Gift. He is an abusive husband who also terrorizes his psychic neighbor, and who is a suspect in the murder of a wealthy socialite.

Overview
Donnie Barksdale is the violent, abusive husband of Valerie Barksdale; he frequently gives her savage beatings for no reason beyond unleashing his rage on someonew who can't fight back. He is also a bigot who hates African-Americans and Jews. He takes a particular dislike to protagonist Annie Wilson, a clairvoyant who performs readings for Valerie against his will, and whom he frequently accuses of witchcraft.

Despite his overall repugnant nature, however, he has enough macho, swaggering charm to be attractive to local socialite Jessica King, and the two begin an affair, even though Jessica is engaged to schoolteacher Wayne Collins.

In The Gift
When Annie advises Valerie to leave Donnie after he gives her two black eyes, Donnie shows up at Annie's house and threatens to kill her unless she leaves his wife alone; he later threatens Annie's children, as well. Annie goes to the police, but they say there is nothing they can do, as Donnie had not actually harmed her or her children; it is suggested that they are willfully ignoring her plight because they hate her as much as Donnie does.

When Jessica disappears, suspicion falls on Donnie, but he insists that he is innocent. When she is found murdered, he is arrested, and accuses Annie of framing him as he is led away.

During his trial, he admits the affair to prosecutor David Duncan - who had also been Jessica's lover - and even taunts him that he had been better than him at satisfying her sexually. The jury despises him and finds himn guilty of Jessica's murder, sending him to prison.

By the end of the film, however, Annie sees a vision suggesting Donnie's innocence, and ultimately discovers that Collins killed Jessica because she was cheating on him. Donnie is then presumably exonerated and released.