BENTONVILLE -- Joshua Lee Anderson is just one of four suspects in the death of a toddler, with one of the others implicating his client, Anderson's attorney told a judge Tuesday.
Anderson, 25, was arrested Monday in connection with capital murder. He is accused of killing Sephylia Fuls, who prosecutors say died of blunt force trauma Sept. 4, 2018, about one month before her second birthday.
Anderson was the boyfriend of Sephylia's mother, said Benton County Prosecutor Nathan Smith.
He appeared for a bond hearing before Circuit Judge Brad Karren on Tuesday. Karren described the case against Anderson as a strong one and ordered him held without bond in the Benton County Jail.
Prosecutors haven't yet filed a formal charge against Anderson.
Rogers attorney Drew Miller was appointed to represent Anderson for Tuesday's hearing. He urged the judge to set a bond, saying three other suspects could have harmed the child. He added police records show conflicting statements.
There were no adult witnesses to the death, and the child's injuries were internal, Smith said Monday.
"In cases like this, all the evidence is medical evidence," Smith said. "These kinds of investigations are labor intensive."
It was a time-consuming process to rule out all the ways the child could have died, such as by an accidental fall, he said.
Anderson sat Tuesday with his hands folded in his lap before the hearing. He took one quick glance at the gallery, but mostly looked straight ahead.
His arraignment is scheduled for Sept. 11.
Springdale police were called at 8:44 p.m. Sept. 4 to Chapel Ridge Apartments by the Fire Department, according to a police statement after the initial report of the girl's death. The Fire Department was called because the child was unresponsive. She was pronounced dead at Northwest Medical Center-Springdale.
An autopsy by the state medical examiner detailed injuries Sephylia suffered and an investigation began, Smith said.
A court affidavit filed by investigators included a summary of the autopsy reporting "multiple blunt force traumas."
The child's mother, Veronica McCoy, told police she returned to the apartment from a trip to a convenience store and found Anderson holding Sephylia's 5-year-old brother and accusing the boy of hitting her, according to the affidavit.
Anderson told investigators a different story, including the brother pushed the girl, according to the affidavit. Sephylia's two brothers -- the other was 3 years old -- were interviewed at the Children's Advocacy Center of Benton County in Little Flock. Those interviews implicated Anderson, according to the affidavit.
A child abuse specialist pediatrician at Arkansas Children's Hospital determined the girl died as a result of physical abuse, according to the affidavit.
Anderson is already charged with aggravated assault, battery, resisting arrest and obstructing governmental operations involving an incident earlier this year. He was free on $2,500 bond.
He was arrested Jan. 29 after a Rogers police officer went to the Ranch-O-Tel Motel at 1805 S. Eighth St., according to court documents. A man told the officer he had been chased by another man with a machete, according to court documents.
Tracy M. Neal may be reached by email at [email protected] or Twitter @NWATracy. Mike Jones
may be reached by email at [email protected].
The man with the machete was Anderson, police said.
Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s Doug Thompson contributed to this report.
NW News on 08/21/2019