A teenager charged with capital murder in the robbery and killing of a southwest Little Rock woman last month pleaded innocent Thursday in district court.
Darrell Keith Dixon, 15, pleaded innocent to charges of aggravated robbery, aggravated assault and felony theft of property, as well. He's one of three McClellan High School students arrested in the death of Eunice Lopez, who police said was robbed of her purse and fatally shot outside her home the morning of Jan. 31.
Kevin Williams Jr., 15, and Ramale Collier, 18, surrendered to police the day of the killing. They have pleaded innocent to the same charges, and are being held without bail at the Pulaski County jail.
At Thursday's court hearing, Judge Alice Lightle ordered Dixon to be held without bail. Dixon's attorney, Willard Proctor, said his client was accused of being an accomplice in the crime but was "not involved in the actual commission of a homicidal act."
A court affidavit released Thursday provided further details of the holdup.
Dixon told investigators the teens approached Lopez, 27, in her driveway at 8401 Keats Drive and that Williams knocked her to the ground and shot her during a struggle over her purse, the affidavit states. Lopez reportedly was holding her 2-year-old daughter at the time.
Dixon said that as the teens ran away, Williams dropped the purse and he picked it up, according to the court filing. Dixon said he then gave the purse to Collier.
Police reportedly found the blood-covered purse and other items belonging to Lopez in a backyard nearby. Investigators detained and interviewed several youths in the area who said they saw the killing. The witnesses heard Williams say he "didn't mean to shoot" Lopez, court filings show.
Police said Dixon's story was consistent with the witness accounts. He was not initially charged. Police arrested him Wednesday after "further investigation," a department news release states. A police spokesman couldn't elaborate, but said no additional arrests were expected.
Dixon's attorney filed a motion to reduce the bail after Thursday's hearing.
The teen's next court date was set for April 11.
Williams and Collier are scheduled to appear in court again March 30.
Information for this article was contributed by John Moritz of Arkansas Online.
Metro on 02/12/2016