In a relatively small suburban Arkansas community, an ongoing murder case can be of intensive interest to the public. A few months back, authorities in Pulaski County arrested a man with a sordid criminal past for the alleged murder and kidnapping of a female real estate agent who was apparently showing or had shown a property to the person believed to have been the perpetrator. On October 30, the authorities arrested the suspect’s wife and charged her also with capital murder and kidnapping charges.
The arrest of the wife on the same charges came after a one-month investigation. Authorities appear to be playing it close to the chest by not revealing any details supporting the charges against the woman. However, it is reported that the male suspect admitted to kidnapping the victim. He may have also made statements about his wife that implicated her. Authorities says they built a case against the woman based on “tips and leads.”
Thus far, a motive for the suspects to have committed this alleged kidnapping and murder is unknown. Additionally, the wife will apparently defend on the basis that she filed a divorce against the husband in October, indicating their estrangement. Furthermore, she asserts that she did not know that he had a prior criminal record.
In Arkansas and other jurisdictions, the facts of what took place will determine the outcome for the original suspect’s wife. She could have been identified as a participant in the murder by her husband simply because he is trying to get prosecutorial leniency for his own prosecution. If the woman can establish an “airtight” alibi for the main time periods in question, that could go a long way toward establishing a viable defense. If her involvement goes deeper, she will have to try and establish that she was a peripheral player who did not know what the male suspect was going to do.
Source: arkansasmatters.com, “Arron Lewis’ Wife Arrested as Second Suspect in Carter Case”, Oct. 30, 2014