In the summer of 2024, the life of 34-year-old Israel Damont Credit Jr., a Black male from Conway, Arkansas, was tragically cut short. On the morning of July 22nd, officers from the Conway Police Department responded to a call about a deceased person at a residence on Fairview Street. Inside, they discovered the body of Credit, and it was immediately clear that his death was the result of foul play.
The investigation that followed would reveal that he had been killed by gunfire the previous evening, on July 21, 2024.
The Conway Police Department quickly launched a homicide investigation, and their efforts to find who was responsible led them to a suspect. Detectives worked diligently and uncovered evidence that pointed to 25-year-old Montrell Simmons of Little Rock. Just two days after Credit's body was found, Simmons was located and arrested in Little Rock with the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Eastern District Fugitive Task Force. Another individual, 28-year-old Renwick Brown, was also taken into custody in connection with the murder, facing charges of hindering apprehension or prosecution.
The case against Montrell Simmons proceeded to a two-day trial in Faulkner County. The prosecution presented the evidence they had gathered, and a jury found Simmons guilty of Capital Murder. He was subsequently sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. In addition to the life sentence, Simmons received an additional 15 years for the use of a firearm during the commission of the crime, ensuring he would be held accountable for the violent end he brought to Israel Damont Credit Jr.'s life.
