A man was sentenced to 25 years in prison Monday for the shooting death and armed robbery of a Hot Springs man in March 2020 at Hollywood Park after pleading guilty in Garland County Circuit Court.
Payton Jason Mann-Douthit, 19, who has remained in custody on $500,000 bond since his arrest July 9, 2020, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, reduced from an original charge of capital murder, and aggravated robbery in the death of Joshua Ezekiel Severns, 20, whose body was found in the park March 14, 2020.
Mann-Douthit, who had no previous criminal history, was sentenced to 40 years in prison, with 15 years suspended, on each count, to run concurrently, while a felony firearm enhancement that had been filed in the case was withdrawn.
Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Kara Petro said Monday that because Mann-Douthit was 17 at the time of the shooting he could not be given the death penalty under Arkansas law. Had the case gone to trial on the original capital-murder charge and he was sentenced to life in prison, he would have been eligible for parole in 30 years because of his age, Petro said.
"So it was only a difference of five years," she said of his 25-year sentence, noting that she consulted with the victim's family on the plea agreement before Monday's hearing.
After his release, he will remain under the suspended sentence for 15 years and could be sent back to prison if he violates any of the conditions.
Alisa Kay Andry, 20, of Hot Springs was also arrested in the case. She was arrested July 10, 2020, and charged with first-degree murder and aggravated robbery, each punishable by up to life in prison.
Andry pleaded innocent by reason of mental disease or defect on Aug. 3, 2020, delaying the case until she could be evaluated. She was released on $100,000 bond on Sept. 16, 2020. On Jan. 11, 2021, she was found fit to proceed with trial based on the findings of a Nov. 9 evaluation at the Arkansas State Hospital. Her case is still pending in circuit court.
Mann-Douthit had pleaded innocent to his charges, and his attorney, Clay Janske, filed a motion on Nov. 25, 2020, to suppress any statements he made after his arrest, arguing that Mann-Douthit was "under the influence of meth" and had "gone without sleep for several days" when he was questioned.
Petro argued that he was "not under the influence to the extent his confession was involuntary. When a trial court determines voluntariness of a statement by one who claims intoxication, the court must determine whether the individual was of sufficient mental capacity to know what he was saying and whether he was suffering from hallucinations or delusions."
His statement was later ruled admissible at a February hearing.
Former Judge John Homer Wright had issued a gag order in July 2020, limiting pretrial publicity in the case and had ordered the cases for Mann-Douthit and Andry sealed. Both cases were filed directly to circuit court.
Petro noted Monday that because the charges against Andry are still pending, the gag order is still in place so she couldn't discuss the specifics of the case.
According to a Hot Springs police news releases, officers responded to a report of shots fired on March 14, 2020, in the area of Hollywood Park at 411 Hollywood Ave., and found Severns dead from a gunshot wound behind the restrooms.
During the investigation, it was determined that Severns left his residence on foot to meet someone and was directed to certain locations before making it to the park. A Crime Stoppers reward of $1,500 had been offered for information leading to the arrest of the person or persons involved in the death of Severns.
Information about what led police to Mann-Douthit and Andry has not been released.
According to his obituary, Severns was a 2019 graduate of Hot Springs World Class High School, an avid skateboarder, artist and hiker. A memorial walk was held for him on March 24, 2020, with friends and family members walking from Valley Hill Skate Park to Hollywood Park, where a memorial service was held.