A 20-year-old Fort Smith man hacked to death two men with a machete Wednesday night after the men confronted him as he walked down an alley, thinking he looked suspicious, Fort Smith police said.
The victims, Nathan Young, 32, and Brandon Prince, 39, were dead before officers arrived at the duplex where the killings occurred, according to a Police Department news release.
Police arrested Gregory Aaron Kinsey at his mother’s house at 524 ½ S. 17th St. a short time later. He was being held Thursday at the Sebastian County jail on two counts of capital murder.
Kinsey told police that he swung the machete to get the men to back off, according to an affidavit. Once that happened, he had “a clear mind,” he told police. He said, “it was like watching a movie as he cut the men,” the affidavit said.
Officers went to the 1600 block of North D Street after receiving a call about the attacks at 9:48 p.m. Wednesday. The officers found Young dead in the grass west of the duplex and Prince dead on the duplex porch, both with extensive cuts on their bodies, the release said.
A witness told police that a man attacked Young and Prince after the two approached the man in the alley next to the duplex, said Patricia Sullivan, a spokesman for the Police Department.
Young and Prince thought the man looked suspicious and said he was looking into a neighbor’s yard, Sullivan said, recounting what witnesses told police.
One witness said he was drinking beer with Young and Prince on the duplex’s front porch at the time. The witness stayed on the porch while Young and Prince approached the man, Sullivan said.
“He dropped his bags and reached behind him,” Sullivan said. “The witness thought he was going to pull out a gun but he pulled out a machete. He swung the machete at [Prince] first and then proceeded to go after the other one. [Prince] ended up on the porch. He chased the second guy and continually stabbed him.”
The witness told police he heard the attacker say “Satan,” Sullivan said.
The witness told police that he threw a piece of wood at the attacker, and the man stopped swinging the machete and ran away, Sullivan said. Another witness saw the man as he ran and told police he didn’t know the attacker but knew his mother.The witness led officers to Kinsey’s mother’s house.
A weapon police believe was used in the attack was found at the residence, the release states.
Kimberly LeClaire, Kinsey’s mother, said in an interview at her home Thursday that her son reacted in self-defense to a threatening situation.
“He tried to talk those boys out of it,” LeClaire said. “He just wanted to be left alone. He was carrying a bag of groceries. He just wanted to eat a bowl of noodles.”
An affidavit filed with the Sebastian County prosecuting attorney’s office said Kinsey told police that he was walking home from the Dollar Store when he stopped to look through a backyard. Then he was approached by three men, he told police.
“Mr. Kinsey said he explained to them he was looking at a guy he thought he knew,” the affidavit said. “He said the three were argumentative with him and came toward him.”
Kinsey told police he began swinging his machete after warning the men to back off.
“He said they fled from him but he pursued them, striking the one in the alley until the man told him he surrendered,” the affidavit said.“Mr. Kinsey said he had a clear mind and once the fight started, it was like watching a movie as he cut the men.”
LeClaire said her son has been bullied since seventh grade because he is an American Indian. Her son didn’t want to fight the men, but he “snapped” when they wouldn’t leave him alone, she said.
“Three grown men jumped another man in the alley,” she said. “He was not screaming anything about Satan. He tried to talk these guys out of it.”
Johnny Fontenot lives less than a block from where the two men died. He said the neighborhood is tight knit.
“This area is a neighborhood watch,” Fontenot said. “We report any suspicious activity.”
Fontenot said he had known Young for several months. Young kept a cautious eye on what was happening in the neighborhood.
“He was a hardworking guy,” Fontenot said. “He took care of his family. He woke up early, went to work and paid his bills.”
Front Section, Pages 1 on 06/28/2013