BENTONVILLE -- A Bentonville man is fit to stand trial in connection with the killing of his grandmother last year.
Michael Eugene Conklin, 27, is charged with capital murder and aggravated robbery. He is being held in the Benton County Jail without bond. He previously pleaded not guilty to the charges.
He is accused of killing Nelma Darline Conklin, 76, in her Bentonville home. Stab wounds to the neck were the cause of death, according to court documents.
Prosecutors will seek the death penalty.
Case proceedings were suspended in October pending a mental evaluation for Conklin at the Arkansas State Hospital in Little Rock. The evaluation was to determine if he was fit to stand trial and if he understood criminal responsibility at the time of the crime.
Conklin appeared in court Monday morning. He was dressed in red-and-white jail attire. Conklin talked with Ernie Whitt and Scott McElveen, his attorneys, before his case was called.
Circuit Judge Robin Green found Conklin fit to stand trial. Exact details of the evaluation weren't discussed at the hearing.
Green scheduled an omnibus hearing for 8:30 a.m. Aug. 3. She could set a jury trial date then.
Nathan Smith, Benton County prosecutor, told Green that Stuart Cearley, chief deputy prosecutor, will be the lead on the Conklin case because trial dates are set for Mauricio Torres and Cathy Torres of Bella Vista, who are accused of killing their 6-year-old son.
The Torreses will be tried separately. Mauricio Torres' jury trial is set to begin Jan. 12. Cathy Torres' jury trial is scheduled to begin Jan. 26. Prosecutors will seek the death penalty for the Torreses.
Smith wants Cearley on the Conklin case while Smith works the Torreses cases.
Smith could get back on the Conklin case, but that depends on the trial date.
Police went to Nelma Conklin's home for a welfare check July 20. She hadn't been to work at Walmart on Pleasant Grove Road in Rogers since July 14. A co-worker was unable to contact her and called police.
Police found her dead in the garage of her home at 3300 S.W. Elm Manor Ave. Her body was concealed by trash bags and pieces of cardboard, according to a probable cause 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, according to court documents.
Michael Conklin could be sentenced to life imprisonment or the death penalty if convicted of capital murder. He faces from 10 to 40 years or life imprisonment if convicted of aggravated robbery.
NW News on 06/16/2015