Sherwood police on Monday released new details in the killing of a Sylvan Hills High School student last week.
Bryan Allen Thompson, 17, was found dead Thursday afternoon in the parking lot of the Bill Harmon Recreation Center at 51 Shelby Road. Police announced Friday that three teenagers had been arrested and charged as adults in the case: Xavier Porter, 17, of North Little Rock; Trevone Miller, 14, of Sherwood; and Quincy Parker, 15, of Sherwood.
Porter and Parker face charges of capital murder and aggravated robbery in the case. Miller was charged with first-degree murder and aggravated robbery.
Sherwood District Judge Milas Hale on Saturday set bail for the three at $200,000 each. Hale found that police had probable cause to arrest the teens and ordered them to be held at the Pulaski County jail. A plea and arraignment hearing was scheduled for this morning, according to prosecutors.
Police reported Thompson's death and the arrest of the three suspects but provided no further information on the case until Monday afternoon. According to a 911 dispatch call released by the department, a recreation center employee, Lawrence Hannon, found Thompson dead in a silver-colored Chevrolet Cobalt in the parking lot at 2:33 p.m.
"I'm at the Bill Harmon Rec Center right now," the caller says on the 911 call. "I think I just walked up on somebody who might have committed suicide in a car."
Police reports state that officers found Thompson in the driver's seat, pale and stiff, with blood under his chin. The driver's-side window was open and a bag of marijuana was on the floorboard between his legs.
An officer reached inside and shook Thompson by the shoulder, but Thompson was unresponsive, according to the report.
Police spokesman Sgt. Jason Hopkins said he could not discuss how Thompson was killed, or other details not included in the records released Monday.
Hale, at the request of prosecutors, sealed all other case records.
Deputy prosecuting attorney John Johnson said his office wanted the case files sealed because an investigation of Thompson's death has not been completed.
"A lot of times, an investigation is ongoing and you want to be sure the information you're getting from potential witnesses is first-hand information, not heard from someplace else or from someone on the news," he said.
Johnson said it was "far too early" in the case to consider what punishment prosecutors might pursue.
According to federal law, certain punishments can already be ruled out. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2005 that executing people who were under the age 18 at the time of a crime violates the Eighth Amendment, which protects against cruel and unusual punishment.
In 2012, the high court ruled that minors convicted of murder cannot receive a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole. The ruling expanded on a previous decision that banned lifelong imprisonment of minors convicted of crimes lower than murder.
A memorial to Thompson could be seen Monday at his parking spot at Sylvan Hills High School. Students propped up a plywood board, spray-painted "RIP," and left flowers, balloons, photos of Thompson and dozens of notes from students and friends.
"Fly high my guy!" one of the notes stated. "We miss you!"
"I miss you a lot," another note said. "Sorry all my tears are hitting the paper. I love you so much and I know I will see you again."
Sylvan Hills High School Principal Tracy Allen had not responded to a request for comment.
Pulaski County Special School District spokesman Deb Roush said that Sherwood police are providing extra security at the high school and neighboring Sylvan Hills Middle School, although she said there were no known threats at either school Monday.
"The Sherwood community is very close together, so it was more of a comforting factor," she said.
In addition to the added security, Roush said, administrators at Sylvan Hills and North Pulaski high schools made phone calls to parents over the weekend, urging the school communities to "come together" and asking parents to talk to their children about social media posts related to the killing.
On Facebook, hundreds have commented on local news stories telling of Thompson's death and the arrests of Miller, Parker and Porter. Hopkins said he is aware of the attention the case has received and that further information will be released through court proceedings.
"Social media takes things, and you just never know what you're going to get with all the stuff that's put out there," he said.
Miller attended Sylvan Hills last semester but is not currently a student in the district, according to the school district.
Police arrested Miller about 11:30 a.m. Friday at his Sherwood home, 2001 Madison Layne Court. A man at the residence Monday declined to discuss the case. He told a reporter to leave and not return.
Parker is a student at North Pulaski High School. He was at his home in Sherwood at 8709 Holiday Drive when police arrested him about 8:20 p.m. Friday.
Parker's mother, Chante Brock, told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on Monday that Parker had transferred to North Pulaski High from J.A. Fair High School in Little Rock a few weeks ago.
She said she knew little about the accusations against her son.
"He just said they charged him with that charge, but I hadn't talked to nobody. He called me and said he had court today, when actually they had court Saturday. And I hadn't heard nothing from nobody," Brock said.
Porter was also a student at North Pulaski High School. No one answered the door at his North Little Rock apartment Monday.
An arrest report states that police arrested Porter at 9:24 p.m. Friday at a Texas Roadhouse restaurant where he works. Thompson worked at Texas Roadhouse from September to early April, according to his Facebook page. It was unclear if they worked at the same location, or whether they knew each other.
Porter's attorney, Ron Davis, said he was reviewing the case and couldn't immediately comment at length.
"Obviously, these are very serious charges. We'll see what else happens as things progress," he said.
Information for this article was contributed by John Moritz of Arkansas Online.
Metro on 04/26/2016