BENTONVILLE — Perry Davis Jr. appeared in court Friday morning where his weight loss was discussed during the proceedings.
Davis, 50, of Bentonville is charged with capital murder and kidnapping in connection with the August 2012 shooting death of his wife. Davis is being held without bond in the Benton County Jail.
At A Glance
About The Case
Prosecutors have not announced whether they will seek the death penalty in Perry Davis’ case. Davis faces life imprisonment or the death penalty if convicted of capital murder. He could be sentenced from 10 to 40 years or life imprisonment if convicted of kidnapping.
Source: Staff Report
Circuit Judge Brad Karren asked Davis about his health and weight as Davis sat at a table with his attorneys Madison Aydelott and Scott McElveen. Karren said he had seen Davis in his courtroom on several occasions before, but on Friday the judge noticed a difference in Davis.
“It appears you have lost a significant amount of weight,” Karren said.
Karren asked Davis how he was feeling health-wise.
“I’m OK, your honor,” Davis responded.
Davis has lost more than 100 pounds in the last six months, Aydelott said.
Davis weighed 211 pounds Friday, said Rob Holly, a major with the Benton County Sheriff’s Office.
The jail medical staff said Davis has been frequently refusing to eat, Holly said.
“I can’t release anything about his medical condition, but the medical staff is taking steps to see if he has anything seriously wrong with him,” Holly said.
Karren asked Davis if he would be willing to have his blood drawn for medical purposes. The blood could only be used for a medical diagnosis, Karren said. Davis agreed to cooperate.
Davis is accused of killing 44-year-old Kelly Davis. Police believe Perry Davis shot himself after shooting his wife.
Davis has a prefrontal lobe injury from the wound and is now blind and suffers from retrograde amnesia because of the self-inflicted wound, according to court documents.
Police were called to the couple’s home at 804 S.W. Ouachita Drive in Bentonville at 5:21 p.m. Aug. 19, 2012, in connection with a domestic disturbance.
Kelly Davis’ body was found in the home after police entered almost five hours after her 911 call. Police entered the home after Perry Davis called 911, claiming he had been shot and needed assistance.
A suppression hearing was set for Friday, but Aydelott withdrew the motion.
Aydelott said he had reviewed all the evidence and there were no statements by his client, healthcare workers or police officers to have suppressed.
“There’s no law that I can find that would allow me to suppress the 911 calls,” Aydelott said.
The 911 calls have not been publicly released. A pretrial hearing is scheduled for Feb. 24.