BENTONVILLE -- A local circuit judge ordered a Fayetteville man accused of murder to be held without bond in the Benton County Jail.
Judge Robin Green held a bond hearing Friday for Wilson Figueroa-Matos, who was arrested in connection with capital murder, abuse of corpse, tampering with physical evidence and terroristic threatening. Prosecutors have not filed formal charges against him.
Figueroa-Matos, 39, is accused of killing 25-year-old Kevin Gonzalez. His skeletal remains were found March 27, 2020, in an area near Decatur. The remains were sent to the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory and identified as Gonzalez, according to court documents.
Gonzalez had been reported missing to Decatur police. He was last seen April 12, 2019, according to court documents.
"Two years ago this defendant executed Kevin Gonzalez in cold blood by shooting him in the head," Joshua Robinson, deputy prosecutor, said at Friday's hearing.
Robinson recommended Figueroa-Matos be held in jail without bond.
Seth Irwin, Figueroa-Matos' attorney for the bond hearing, said Figueroa-Matos had lived in the area for three years.
Green found that probable cause exists to detain Figueroa-Matos on the charges.
Luis Guillermo Rodriguez-Martinez, 26, is being held on $200,000 bond in the county jail. He was arrested Saturday in connection with hindering apprehension, abuse of corpse and tampering with physical evidence. Prosecutors have not filed formal charges against him.
Rodriguez-Martinez told detectives he was in an apartment when Figueroa-Matos shot Gonzalez once in the head, according to a probable cause affidavit. Rodriguez-Martinez said he wanted to call an ambulance, but Figueroa-Matos took his cellphone and would not let him, according to the affidavit.
Karla Benitez-Cruz reported on April 15, 2019, that a few days earlier she had gone to the apartment with Gonzalez, who went inside to take care of money that he owed Figueroa-Matos, according to the affidavit. She said she heard a gunshot and went to the door and Denis Vega, Figueroa-Matos' roommate, told her everyone had left out the back door, but she knew he was lying because there were no back doors, according to the affidavit.
Police did go to the apartment, and Vega gave officers permission to look around to ensure no one was hurt, the affidavit states. Vega, who has since died, reported Gonzalez owed money to Figueroa-Matos, according to the affidavit.
Rodriguez-Martinez reported, he, Vega and Figueroa-Matos put Gonzalez's body in a car's trunk, but he and Figueroa-Matos then drove around on dirt roads for more than an hour, then dumped the body and covered it with an air mattress, the affidavit states.
The two went to a car wash and cleaned out the vehicle, according to the affidavit. The apartment had been cleaned when they returned to it, according to the affidavit.
Rodriguez-Martinez said he saw Figueroa-Matos give the gun to another man, and that Figueroa-Matos warned him not to tell anyone about what happened, according to the affidavit.
Figueroa-Matos' arraignment is scheduled for Oct. 18.