The appellant contends that this was reversible error. That was the motel where the State Police personnel were staying while in Searcy and Room 124 was the room occupied by Lester. The appellant and Lester were alone in Room 124 most of the time. SEARCY "Nall and Allen capably deliver this tale of greed, sex, and betrayal. SEARCY, Ark. STATE of Arkansas, Appellee. That is, the appellant was intellectually superior to the average seventy year old person. It was also stated tha the skeletal remains were possibly African or Indian. Arkansas Online Miss Hale, who was also present, recalled the appellant stating to the officers that " he would contact his lawyer and get back in touch with them.". Hurd is considered armed and dangerous. WebA society matron, if you will, in Searcy, Arkansas, in White County was found brutally murdered two shots to the head in her home at night and it was just unbelievable, former The omission of that report was strictly on an internal decision of the State Hospital staff which was never revealed to the prosecution. And the appellant was free to, and in fact did, present contradictory evidence and rebuttal witnesses on the questions of his sanity and mental capacity. Dr. Kozberg testified that when he first reviewed the appellant's file, it was his opinion that Dr. Taub's psychological testing was incomplete. Sheriff: Man arrested in stabbing death of mother, (Source: White County Sheriff's Office Facebook), Lawsuit filed against Summit Utilities over price gouging, NWS: EF-2 tornado confirmed in Arkansas storms, 2023 2A State Basketball Tournament: EPC boys fall to Marshall in Quarterfinals, 2023 2A State Basketball Tournament: Bay boys fall to Bigelow in Quarterfinals, Arkansas State womens basketball falls to Southern Miss in SBC Quarterfinals, Arkansas women's basketball falls to #1 South Carolina in SEC Tournament, Fast Break Friday Night (3/3/23): Jonesboro boys advance to 6A state semifinals, The White County Sheriffs Office said on social media. The appellant had served on the State Racing Commission, was actively engaged in a farming enterprise, and was active in the breeding and showing of walking horses. 43-1301 provides that: The report which was admitted into evidence conformed to the requirement of the statute. In May 2014, Medical Examiner Chris Edwards whom I have been working with to get this person identified contacted the White County Sheriff's Department. in Searcy murder 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. U.S. v. Olin Mathieson Chemical Corporation, D.C., 36 F.R.D. Police arrested Christopher Coy Gamble, 32 in connection to the homicide. The 68-year-old socialite was murdered, Marty worked as a truck driver at Agri Turf in Searcy and on July 19, 1994, he requetsed to be off work on August 5, 1994 so he could "go out of town on family business". This is for the simple reason that Dr. Rodgers does not attribute his confession to the allegedly coercive behavior of Lester. Porter R. RODGERS, Sr., Appellant, Hall was sentenced to death by electrocution in May On Friday, May 15, officers with the Searcy Police Department responded to Horton Street to check the welfare of Clevenger where they found her dead. Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2021. The trial court permitted the appellant to cross-examine Lester in detail about the facts surrounding his discipline. HOMICIDE: @SearcyPD need your help. Region 8 News will have more details as they become available. These facts, which are either admitted or uncontradicted, include the following. In any event, on this little favored ground for new trial, the trial judge had a considerable latitude of discretion. 142, 412 S.W.2d 279 (1967). Sanders declares state of emergency after storms, Embattled UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson resigns, Zelensky: There will be two Victory Days in Ukraine. There is also no evidence that Leon Catlett, or any other attorney, was actually employed by appellant to represent him relative to the police investigation of Mrs. Rodgers' murder. The appellant was again informed of his rights, specifically that he had the right to remain silent and the right to have an attorney present during the interview. The appellant's condition was not different than that which would be expected in a person of his age. Police said that based on the evidence they have; it is believed that Ollis Jr. murdered his wife and then committed suicide. Sanders declares state of emergency after storms, Embattled UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson resigns, Zelensky: There will be two Victory Days in Ukraine. The appellant agreed. The fire was called in by a neighbor and it was determined by firefighters to have been set in multiple places. All rights reserved. Gen., Little Rock, for appellee. Very good look at a historical crime without the dreariness of the over-explanation of the appearance of the town and its people that drag down so many of these books. On March 11, 2002 at approximately 5:42 P.M. a 71 year-old woman identified as Mrs. Jane Murdaught was found brutally beaten in her residence located at 835 Fairview Road in White County. In any event, we do not accept as valid the proposition that a jury qualified to return a death penalty is necessarily prejudiced on the question of guilt or innocence. In summary, Dr. Rodgers testified that he was threatened, mistreated, and abused by Officer Lester and that he does not remember making the statements that went into his confession. Anyone with additional information regarding this investigation is encouraged to call the Searcy Police Department at (501) 279-1038. This request was also refused by the trial court. The easy writing style and thorough details really brought this story to life. The evidence on the question of the appellant's mental capacity consisted of expert testimony from both sides, plus the written report from the State Hospital required by Ark.Stat.Anno. The appellant arrived at Room 124 a few minutes later. After a lengthy jury trial the appellant was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. in professional writing from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. It gave five instructions related to insanity and reduced mental capacity. , File size And further, before any such subsequent interview was commenced, Dr. Rodgers was again advised of his rights and willingly signed a written waiver of those rights. We have reviewed other objections made in the trial court and find none which merit reversal or further discussion. There is no need to further lengthen this opinion by repeating these instructions. The house had a named identity, just like Walmart, Stotts Drugstore, or Magic Mart (although as the place where the murder weapon was purchased its magic seems questionable). A welfare check in Searcy leads officers to a home where they found a woman dead. Leagle.com Lester did not interrogate the appellant, or even discuss the case, at any time at the motel or during the ride to the prosecuting attorney's office. These promotions will be applied to this item: Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. Anytime especially in the town of Searcy we are not like big towns, we dont have a lot of issues with crime, but here recently its been kind of ramped up a little bit, said DeWitt. Many of the names and places were familiar to me even though I had never heard this story before. The substance of the appellant's evidence was that while he was legally responsible for his conduct, he suffered from diminished capacity under stress, both with respect to the ability to tell right from wrong and to knowingly and intelligently waive his constitutional rights. Separately, it is always interesting and important to compare a city's crime rate with those of similarly sized communities - a fair comparison as larger cities tend to have more crime. SEARCY, Ark. Violent Crime Comparison (per 1,000 residents), Property Crime Comparison (per 1,000 residents). WebCrime in Searcy, Arkansas. Lester was not drinking and the mood of the conversation was always cordial. UPDATE: Man arrested in connection to Searcy homicide If anyone has any information on this case you are asked to call Searcy Police. Sanders declares state of emergency after storms, National Weather Service confirms tornadoes in AR, Proposed bill would mandate teaching breastfeeding, Garland Co. sheriff releases names in shooting deaths, Garland County deputies: Man & woman dead after shooting, AST Blog: Severe Weather Awareness Week Watches, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. old murder suspect arrested, Searcy Police say The appellant argues that the prosecution knew in advance of jury selection and trial that its evidence would not support a capital felony murder conviction. Upon arriving, the appellant was informed by Officer W. A. Tudor that he was a suspect in the capital felony murder investigation of his wife's death. Lester and the appellant ate lunch in the room, at the suggestion of the appellant, and watched a football game on television. Murder of an Elvis Girl: Solving the Jenny Maxwell Case, The Ghost: The Murder of Police Chief Greg Adams and the Hunt for His Killer, Wilder Intentions: Love, Lies and Murder in North Dakota, The Murder of Kelsey Berreth: A Shocking True Crime Story. Though this is not my usual genre, as a current resident of Searcy I enjoyed the local flavor of this book. The court reporter stated that it would be impossible to comply with such a request and the trial court rightfully refused it. Please try again. It was alleged that the State Police had taken disciplinary action against Lester twice, once shortly before and once shortly after Lester obtained the appellant's confession herein. According to NeighborhoodScout's analysis of FBI reported crime data, your chance of becoming a victim of one of these crimes in Searcy is one in 149. Crime. Searcy police say they are investigating the incident as a homicide. See Turner v. State, 258 Ark. Therefore, Dr. Kozberg removed the report of Dr. Taub and directed Dr. John G. Althoff, a staff psychologist, to perform a complete battery of tests on the defendant. Crime is ranked on a scale of 1 (low crime) to 100 (high crime) Searcy violent crime is 18.1. A preliminary question deserves mention, to-wit, that of suppression of relevant evidence by the prosecution. Robin was reported missing January 31, 1995. At the time of appellant's trial there was such a statute in Arkansas. Police say they believe they have a person of interest, but no charges have been filed. :