BENTONVILLE -- Prosecutors won't seek the death penalty for a man accused of killing his roommate.
Mei Ka Sin, 23, is charged with capital murder. The punishment will be life imprisonment without the parole if he's convicted. He's being held without bond in the Benton County Jail.
Capital cases
Benton County prosecutors are handling four other capital murder cases: Grant Matthew Hardin, Ted Charles Meehan, Edward Alexis Martinez-Torres and Patrick Christopher Malone.
Source: Staff report
A review of the evidence led to the decision, Benton County Prosecutor Nathan Smith said.
"To be eligible for the death penalty in Arkansas, a defendant must commit at least one of 10 statutory aggravating circumstances," Smith said. "In crafting these aggravating circumstances, our Legislature ensured that only the most heinous murders are eligible for the death penalty. Since there was no evidence of any of these aggravating circumstances in this case, the law does not permit the state to seek capital punishment."
Sin pleaded not guilty during his arraignment before Circuit Judge Robin Green on Wednesday. An omnibus hearing is scheduled for 8 a.m. Oct. 25.
Sin is accused of acting with premeditation and deliberation in the death of Rwabuzisoni Daniel.
An anonymous caller on July 17 reported to Springdale police someone had been shot. Officers found Daniel, 21, dead in one of the units at Chapel Ridge Apartments at 5323 N. Oak St. The area is in the portion of Springdale in Benton County.
Daniel died from multiple gunshot wounds.
A roommate told police he saw Sin and Daniel fight. The roommate said Sin shot Daniel and fled, according to court documents.
A second witness told police she was in the apartment and saw Sin follow Daniel into a bedroom. She heard arguing and then gunshots. She told police Sin was holding a hunting rifle, according to the documents.
Police found spent shell casings on a bedroom floor and a shell casing in the bathroom.
NW News on 09/23/2017