Man who killed Texarkana police officer dies in prison

File photo
File photo

TEXARKANA -- An inmate who was serving a life sentence for killing a police officer in 1977 has died in prison, corrections officials said.

The Arkansas Department of Correction says 57-year-old John Lohbauer died Saturday. Spokeswoman Janie Runkle told the Texarkana Gazette that Lohbauer appeared to have died of natural causes but that a medical examiner will make the final determination.

Lohbauer was 15 when he fatally shot Texarkana Police Officer Ed Worrell during a burglary. He received a life sentence plus 40 years.

Last year, the Arkansas Supreme Court said it wouldn't order a resentencing for Lohbauer, who had argued he was entitled to a new sentence under a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that barred mandatory life sentences for juveniles. Arkansas justices noted that Lohbauer's sentence carried with it the possibility of parole.

Then-Gov. Mike Huckabee rejected a Lohbauer clemency request in 2005 on the state parole board's recommendation.

According to court records, Lohbauer shot two police officers with a high-powered rifle while serving as a lookout for two others during a break-in at a Howard Discount Center along the city street that divides Texas and Arkansas. Worrell died and Officer James Clark was wounded. Lohbauer's accomplices were paroled in 1986.

NW News on 02/14/2019

Upcoming Events