By TAMARA JOHNSON
Managing Editor
The third suspect in a triple slaying in Crow Creek nearly two years ago plead guilty to two counts of first-degree murder this morning and was sentenced to 40 years in the Arkansas Department of Corrections.
Jimmy Mills, 32, was one of three men charged with capital murder in the Dec. 7, 2001, slayings of Dylan A. Boyd, 31, and Carl Boyd, 21, both of Madison, and Dewayne Stewart, 27, of Forrest City. The three murders were combined into one charge for which Mills received 40 years.
He was given an additional 40-year sentence for first-degree murder in the death of Voltaurus Parchman, 22, who was shot to death inside his home on Inglewood Drive on Dec. 28, 2001. The two sentences are to run concurrently, meaning Mills was sentenced to a total of 40 years for the four murders.
However, Mills is serving two 20-year consecutive sentences on previous charges for which his suspended sentences were revoked last November, causing him to be incarcerated in the ADC. Combining all the cases and charges, Mills is sentenced to a total of 80 years in the ADC.
The two other suspects in the Crow Creek murders, Steven D. Neal, 37, and Kevin Mosby, 32, negotiated pleas for lesser charges in November last year.
As part of the plea arrangement, Neal was sentenced to three 20-year terms in the ADC for second-degree murder. However, the 20-year sentences are scheduled to run concurrently, meaning the total sentence for Neal on the murders is 20 years. Neal was also sentenced on previous felonies for which he received 15 years in prison. That sentence is to run consecutively to the sentence for the murders, meaning Neal could spend a total of 35 years in prison for both cases.
Mosby plead guilty to the reduced charge of first-degree murder. Under the plea agreement, Mosby was sentenced to 20 years each for the murders, but those sentences are to be served concurrently, which means he received 20 years for the murders. He also plead guilty to theft of a van after the murders, and for that charge, he was also sentenced to 20 years in prison, but that sentence is to be served consecutively, meaning he received a total of 40 years in prison for his crimes.
In other circuit court activity, a Jonesboro teenager was sentenced to 20 years in the ADC for second-degree murder in the July 2002 stabbing death of his uncle Sammie Mucherson, 42.
Joseph Mucherson, 19, plead guilty to second-degree murder, which was reduced from the original charge of capital murder. The stabbing occurred during a disturbance involving several family members over a videotape of a grandmother's birthday party, police reported.
By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
In the past couple of weeks, people may have noticed something different about the Interstate 40 cloverleaf at Forrest City.
It has been mowed, and not just along the right-of-way.
There had been citizen complaints and appeals from the city as well to get this done. However, Mayor Larry Bryant said this morning that it's doubtful the state will come out and mow every time someone wants it done.
"It was a one-time event, maybe a first-time event," said Bryant. "First the state contractors did their thing, and cut around the edges for about 20 feet. And then the state highway crews cut and pruned and cleaned up the rest of it."
Bryant said that if people want the cloverleaf to look a certain way, the people might have to take it into their own hands.
"What I'd like to see, since we have had some maintenance done on the cloverleaf, is a volunteer cadre of some kind," said Bryant. "Since it's cut now, some people might want to be part of a team to maintain and keep it cut. And the city would be part of that. I think we could probably beautify it so it could become something that it has never been before.
"But in Forrest City, talk is cheap, and people like to talk. And we very seldom get on the same page to make things better. This is a golden opportunity for those who were disgruntled with the way it looked to jump on board, be a team player and do something to make Forrest City look better."
The fourth annual Veteran's Day Program will be held Tuesday, Nov. 11 at 10 a.m. at Mustang Arena, on the campus of Forrest City High School.
Bob Mathias, a two-time Olympic gold medal winner, a former Congressman and a veteran of the Marine Corps, will be the guest speaker
There will be four new inductees for the Wall of Honor, and several veterans whose education was interrupted by war will receive honorary high school diplomas.
The St. Francis County Food Pantry will again be sponsoring its Thanksgiving dinners, and all churches who wish to participate are asked to contact Lula Clay at 633-3382 or 630-1823.
According to Catherine Freeman of the Pantry, the organization is also in need of donations for Christmas boxes.