| Updated: 10/30/2008 8:55 am |
Published: 10/29/2008 4:28 pm |
CONWAY, Ark. (AP) - Four men accused of killing two University of Central Arkansas students and injuring a third person pleaded not guilty in their first court appearance since the Sunday shootings.
While teachers and students at the Conway campus continue to mourn the deaths of Chavares Block and Ryan Henderson, the four suspects appeared before Circuit Judge Charles Clawson, each charged with two counts of capital murder and numerous other
felonies.
Kawin Brockman, 19, of Conway; Kelcey Perry, 19, of Morrilton; Mario Toney, 20, of Little Rock; and Brandon Wade, 20, of Lake Village, asked to be granted bond and released from custody.
Prosecutor Marcus Vaden opposed the request, and the judge ordered the four men held without bond. The judge also set a pretrial date of January Eighth.
A capital murder conviction carries a sentence of life without parole or death.
Vaden said after the arraignment that it might be weeks or months before he decides whether to seek the death penalty. He said that the investigation is in the early stages and he also wants to speak with the victims' families before making that decision. Vaden said most, if not all, of the three victims were innocent
bystanders.
Investigators say the suspects apparently were at the university for several minutes before driving up on a group of students near the Arkansas Hall dormitory. Police say the defendants fired at least eight rounds from a semiautomatic pistol, killing 18-year-old Henderson of Little Rock and 19-year-old Block of Dermott.
Martrevis Norman of Blytheville was treated for a leg wound and released from a hospital.
Campus spokesman Warwick Sabin said that UCA police recovered a weapon that might have been used in the shooting. He said he could not release any details on the type of weapon or where it was found.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
