A 19-year-old Fort Smith man was arrested and jailed on charges of first-degree murder Thursday in the shooting death of his mother’s sister at her home.
Police were called to 3512 Pryor Ave. in Fort Smith shortly after midnight Wednesday and found Rita Anderson, 25, dead in the living room. Dustin Michael Trowbridge had been staying with Anderson, his aunt, and her live-in boyfriend, Zachary Dunn, and Anderson’s sons, ages 5 and 6.
Fort Smith Police Sgt. Daniel Grubbs said Trowbridge had been away from the house for about two weeks and that Anderson had picked him up Wednesday atthe home of an acquaintance at 1317 N. Greenwood Ave. The two fought later in the evening and Dunn told police he saw Trowbridge come out of his bedroom and shoot Anderson with a semi-automatic handgun.
While processing the crime scene, investigators found a 9mm semi-automatic handgun in a trash can outside the house.
Trowbridge fled the house in Dunn’s vehicle. The same vehicle was discovered several hours later about a block from the Greenwood Avenue residence where Trowbridge was picked up by Anderson the day before. Trowbridge was taken into custody at the residence, questioned by police and then arrested inAnderson’s murder, according to a news release issued by the Fort Smith Police Department.
Grubbs said Trowbridge has family who live in the city but did not know why the suspect was living with his aunt. The sound of gunfireapparently woke Anderson’s children, who then saw their mother after she was shot. The boys’ biological father is prohibited from having any contact with their mother so the two were released into custody of the state Department of Human Services, he said.
Local television stations followed Trowbridge as he was taken from policecustody to the county jail Thursday. Trowbridge said he had been using methamphetamine and was high on methamphetamine when the shooting occurred.
“We found him to be in a right and stable condition when we interviewed him,” Grubbs said. He was not carrying any drugs or drug paraphernalia when he was taken into custody, he said.
The weapon found outside Anderson’s house will be sent to the state Crime Laboratory in Little Rock for testing, the release said. Anderson’s body will also be sent to the crime lab for an autopsy.
Trowbridge was additionally charged with felony theft in connection with Dunn’s stolen vehicle. He remained in the Sebastian County jail on Thursday without bail.
Northwest Arkansas, Pages 9 on 02/15/2013