On August 1, 2021, the community of Stuttgart, Arkansas, was struck by tragedy with the death of 18-year-old Omarion Bones. The young man, a graduate of Stuttgart High School and a former football player for the Stuttgart Ricebirds, was found deceased with multiple gunshot wounds at the intersection of East Lincoln and North Oak streets. Bones had a promising future ahead of him; he had played football for the Iowa Wesleyan Tigers and had aspirations of walking on to the team at the University
of Arkansas at Pine Bluff that fall.
The investigation into the shooting led to the arrest of two juvenile suspects. Mahogany Hawkins of Hazen and Jabarree Smith of Stuttgart were taken into custody in connection with Bones' death. Both were charged as adults with capital murder. The case then navigated a complex legal path. A mental health evaluation was ordered for Hawkins to determine her fitness to stand trial, a request that was granted after her attorney cited medical and mental health issues.
The legal proceedings for the two suspects took different turns. In a significant development, Mahogany Hawkins pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of second-degree murder on July 30, 2024. As part of a plea agreement, she was sentenced to 30 years in prison, with 10 years suspended, contingent upon her truthful testimony regarding all individuals involved in the murder. This plea came after the capital murder charge against her co-defendant, Jabarree Smith, had been dropped in March 2023, only to be refiled in August 2024.
Following the refiling of the capital murder charge, Jabarree Smith's case went to trial. In a verdict delivered in July 2025, a jury found Smith not guilty of both capital murder and the lesser charge of first-degree murder. The three-day trial concluded with his acquittal, marking the final chapter in the legal pursuit of justice for the death of Omarion Bones.
