In the quiet town of Paragould, Arkansas, the life of eighteen-year-old Justin Keith Brown Bateson was tragically cut short in March of 2024. A male resident of nearby Ravenden Springs, his body was discovered in a vacant lot on Magnolia Drive on the morning of March 12th, bearing the grim evidence of multiple gunshot wounds to the head. The discovery launched an intensive investigation by the Paragould Police Department, as they worked to piece together the events that led to such a violent
end for the young man.
Investigators soon learned that on the evening of March 11th, around 7:30 PM, Bateson was seen leaving a residence with another young man. Sometime after they departed, witnesses reported hearing gunshots in the vicinity of the 200-block of Magnolia Drive. Concerns grew when the individual Bateson had left with returned to the residence alone a short time later. This crucial piece of information pointed detectives toward a primary suspect.
Within days, the investigation led to the arrest of nineteen-year-old Connor Grist of Pocahontas. A search of the home where Grist was staying uncovered personal property belonging to Bateson, further solidifying the case against him. Grist, who was already a convicted felon and on probation at the time of the incident, was taken into custody on March 14th. He was subsequently charged with first-degree murder, aggravated robbery, and possession of firearms by certain persons.
The legal proceedings that followed brought a measure of closure to the community and Bateson's grieving loved ones. During the trial, prosecutors presented evidence and witness testimony that painted a stark picture of the crime. After hearing the case, a Greene County jury found Connor Grist guilty of first-degree murder. On February 6, 2025, a judge sentenced him to 40 years in the Arkansas Department of Corrections, bringing the official investigation into the untimely and violent death of Justin Keith Brown Bateson to a close.
