BENTONVILLE — Prosecutors will seek the death penalty for a Bentonville man accused of killing his grandmother.
Michael Eugene Conklin , 26, is charged with capital murder and aggravated robbery. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges in connection with the death of Nelma Darline Conklin .
He is being held without bond in the Benton County Jail.
Conklin appeared in court Monday morning and the prosecutor announced that the death penalty would be sought in the case.
Conklin is accused of acting with “premeditation and deliberation” in his 76-year-old grandmother’s death, according to court documents. Stab wounds to the neck were the cause of death, according to court documents.
Proceedings in the case remain suspended since Circuit Judge Robin Green granted a request from Conklin's defense attorneys for him to have a mental evaluation at the Arkansaas State Hospital in Little Rock.
A mental status hearing is now set for March 30.
Police went to Nelma Conklin ’s home for a welfare check July 20. She hadn’t been to work at the Walmart Supercenter on Pleasant Grove Road in Rogers since July 14. A co-worker had been unable to contact her and called police, according to court documents.
Police found her dead July 20 in the garage of her home at 3300 SW. Elm Manor Ave., according to a probable cause affidavit. Her body was concealed by trash bags and pieces of cardboard, according to the affidavit.
Michael Conklin lived with his grandmother. He was arrested several days later in Saline County after police found his grandmother’s body. Police interviewed Nelma Conklin ’s family and co-workers and learned she and her grandson hadn’t been getting along.
Michael Conklin could be sentenced to life imprisonment or the death penalty if he is convicted of capital murder. He faces from 10 to 40 years or life imprisonment if he is convicted of aggravated robbery.