After the apparent shooting death of a woman in Searcy County, a man is in custody and has been charged. The 30-year-old man is now facing murder charges after being implicated in the death of the 26-year-old woman, according to Arkansas authorities. As with many suspects in violent crimes, the man is being held by police ahead of a court date.
Very little information is available at this time pertaining to the alleged crime, but it has been confirmed that sheriff’s deputies responded to a call on Feb. 27 about a potential shooting. When they arrived on the scene, they found the body of the 26-year-old victim. Initially, authorities believed the gunshot wound that killed the woman was self-inflicted, but they later changed their assessment. It is not clear what caused them to re-evaluate their initial findings.
A warrant was issued on March 1 for the arrest of a 30-year-old man, following an investigation aided by state police. The man was arrested on March 2 and has since been charged with first degree murder. He is being held against $150,000 bond in a county jail ahead of a March 29 trial date. It is not known if he has retained criminal defense counsel at this time.
Violent crimes of this nature carry heavy criminal penalties if the suspected individual is found guilty. However, in order to secure a conviction, Arkansas prosecutors will have to prove not only that the man shot the victim but also that he planned to do so ahead of time. His criminal defense team will carefully review the facts of the case in building a strong defense against this serious charge.
Source: arkansasonline.com, “Man charged with murder in shooting death of Arkansas woman“, Rachel Herzog, Mar. 2, 2018