Police have arrested a man in Monticello following an attack they believe killed a local woman. Arkansas authorities apprehended the 28-year-old man, who now faces a charge of first-degree murder in the death of a 32-year-old female Monticello resident. As with most suspected violent crimes, the body has been remanded to the medical examiner to determine the exact cause of death in advance of criminal court proceedings.
Information about this case is limited as of this report, but it has been confirmed that police responded to the call to an apartment complex around 6 p.m. the evening of Jan. 4. They say they found the victim, who appeared to have been beaten to death. She was pronounced dead on the scene by medical personnel. The woman was identified the following day by her sister.
State police arrested the suspected man at an unspecified time subsequently. He was charged with first-degree murder and was taken to a county jail for holding. His bail was set at $500,000. For the moment, the authorities have not released a planned court date, and the police say their investigation into the tragic death is still ongoing.
Violent crimes like murder carry a heavy sentence here in Arkansas. If the man is found guilty, he could face considerable prison time, which one reason why the burden lies on the prosecution to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the man set out to murder the victim. As part of court proceedings, the man’s defense team will work to build a compelling case for his innocence by carefully reviewing the facts of the case, including material evidence from the scene and the report from the coroner about the cause of the victim’s death. This and other evidence may be useful in contesting a first-degree murder charge in criminal court.
Source: arkansasonline.com, “Monticello man is charged in death“, Jan. 6, 2018