VAN BUREN -- A Crawford County man is scheduled to go before a Circuit Court judge this morning after being charged Tuesday with the capital murder of a man who was beaten to death last week with an ax handle.
Randall Lavan Jordan, 35, was charged with beating Larry Eugene Jones, 59, as he slept in his bed during the early morning hours of June 10. Jones died shortly after at Sparks Regional Medical Center in Fort Smith.
A preliminary autopsy report from the Arkansas State Medical Examiner's office said the cause of Jones' death was craniocerebral injuries.
A report by Sheriff's Office Cpl. Halbert Torraca said he saw injuries on Jones' face, right temple, the back of his head as well as fresh abrasions and bruises throughout his body.
Sheriff's Office deputy Bradley Carney arrested Jordan at Jones' home, 5305 Grand Juniper Road, in rural Van Buren where a neighbor had held Jordan at gunpoint until the deputy arrived.
Jordan was being held in the Crawford County jail in lieu of $500,000 bond.
According to Carney's report, Jordan wouldn't speak with deputies and asked for a lawyer.
Family and witnesses told deputies Jordan had been living with Jones but Jones kicked him out of the house. Jordan still had a key to the home and used it to enter it.
One of Jones' sisters, Roxanna Faldon, said in the report Jordan told her while they waited for deputies to arrive Jones had given him a key months ago, "What did he expect to happen," according to a sheriff's report.
A guest who had been staying at Jones' house for five days, Melissa Qualls, told deputies, she was awakened about 5 a.m. June 10 by one of her dogs whining, the report said. Qualls said she could hear someone gasping for air and when she looked into Jones' bedroom she saw the shadow of someone striking down with a large object, the report said. With each strike, she said, Jones made a loud grunting noise.
Qualls gathered up her dogs ran next door and banged on the door of Jones' uncle, Walter Young, and told him someone was being hurt, the report said. Young ran next door to the home of Jones's son, Riley, and told him there was trouble and to get his gun.
Riley Jones told deputies he fired his gun into the air as he ran to his father's house because he didn't know what was going on inside, according to a report. He confronted Randall, still holding the ax handle, in the dark standing in the doorway to his father's bedroom, the report said.
Riley Jones asked Randall where his father was, Qualls told deputies. She said Jordan replied Larry Jones was fine and he ran out the back door.
"'He's a liar. He's a liar. Look, I can see his legs. He's lying there,'" the report quoted Qualls as saying.
Riley Jones gave the gun to Young and told him to watch Jordan until deputies arrived while he picked up his father and drove him to Sparks.
Riley Jones told deputies he didn't know what was going on between Jordan and his father, but he said his father complained to him earlier he kicked Jordan out of the house because he wouldn't do anything around the house, wouldn't help pay bills or get a job.
Jones' daughter-in-law, Cara Jones, told deputies Jordan was depressed. He had lost his mother, his job and his wife divorced him.
NW News on 06/22/2016