FORT SMITH -- Results of a mental evaluation will be needed before any further hearings are held in cases involving a boy charged as an adult in connection with a robbery that left a woman dead.
Kemuel Stucki of Barling is charged with first-degree murder, aggravated robbery and terroristic act in connection with a robbery March 24. Chanell Moore, 26, was shot and killed during the robbery, according to a news release from Dan Shue, county prosecuting attorney.
Stucki was charged with another count of aggravated robbery in connection with a separate incident Dec. 12, 2022, in Barling.
Stucki, who was 15 at the time, has pleaded not guilty in both cases.
He was set to undergo a mental evaluation Monday at the Arkansas State Hospital at the request of prosecutors.
"The state submits that there is reason to believe that mental disease or defect of the defendant will or has become an issue in the case," according to a motion for psychiatric evaluation submitted to the court in October by Shue.
The motion said that defense attorneys provided prosecutors with the results of a "pyschoeducational evaluation" administered by Dr. Caren Moore, a licensed psychologist. It says prosecutors anticipate the use of the results of that evaluation by the defense at both a hearing on a motion to transfer the case to juvenile court and a jury trial.
First-degree murder, if convicted, is punishable by 10 to 40 years or life in prison.
Fort Smith Police Chief Danny Baker said Stucki was arrested during a SWAT operation in May in the 9800 block of Mayo Drive.
In the aggravated robbery case, Stucki's arrest affidavit says Stucki entered the ALON gas station at 1709 Fort St. in Barling about 7:40 p.m. Dec. 12, 2022, wearing a black ski mask. He placed a sports bag on the counter and demanded the clerk fill it with vape pens while signaling he had a weapon. The clerk could see the outline of a handgun through Stucki's gray hoodie, according to the affidavit.
Another customer entered the store while the clerk was gathering the vape pens, the affidavit states. Stucki appeared to get "spooked" and walked out, heading west. After contacting police dispatch, the clerk and the other customer followed Stucki, who agreed to come in and pay for the vape pens. However, once back inside, Stucki grabbed four vape pens and left the scene without paying for them, according to the affidavit.
Although Barling police didn't make contact with Stucki at the time, they recovered the bag, mask, gloves and handgun he left on the west side of the gas station, the affidavit states.
Police then received a tip in April of last year via Facebook about the robbery in which Moore was killed. Detectives were able to identify Stucki in video from the ALON gas station, according to the affidavit. Authorities also traced the gun found at the scene and determined Stucki's father bought it in 2015.
Fort Smith police interviewed Stucki after serving him with an arrest warrant for the Barling robbery. The affidavit says Stucki entered another convenience store -- identified by police as Doug's Eastside Convenience at 9017 Rogers Ave. in Fort Smith -- while wearing a mask and demanded vape pens. Despite her compliance, Stucki shot Moore six times, killing her, the affidavit states.
Stucki grabbed some cigarettes and vape pens before fleeing the scene, during which he fired at a car in the parking lot, according to the affidavit. The bullet came close to hitting the vehicle's female occupant in the head, the affidavit states.
Police found a Kimber .45-caliber handgun when executing a search warrant at Stucki's home that was the same caliber of firearm used to kill Moore and matched the appearance of the murder weapon appearing in surveillance video of Doug's Eastside Convenience.
According to court documents, Stucki confessed during the interview with police to the Barling robbery, the robbery and murder of Moore and to shooting at the occupied car in the parking lot.
First-degree murder
A person commits murder in the first degree if: Acting alone or with one or more other persons they commit or attempt to commit a felony and, in the course of and in the furtherance of the felony or in immediate flight from the felony, the person or an accomplice causes the death of any person under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life.
Source Arkansas Code Annotated