In the quiet town of Ashdown, Arkansas, the evening of October 6, 2020, was shattered by violence that ended the life of Dennis Graves. The 48-year-old Black man was discovered lying in a driveway on Byrne Street around 8:47 p.m., suffering from a single gunshot wound. First responders and officers on the scene provided medical aid before he was rushed to the Little River County Hospital by ambulance.
Despite their efforts, Graves succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead.
The investigation into the shooting led Ashdown police to a crime scene a short distance from where Graves was found. As they collected evidence, the investigation quickly pointed toward two individuals. Warrants for first-degree murder were issued for Chekala Johnson and Corey Garfield. Police considered both suspects to be armed and dangerous, prompting a public plea for any information regarding their whereabouts. For nearly two months, Johnson and Garfield remained at large, their motives in the shooting unclear to the public.
The search for the two suspects concluded on November 23, 2020, in Little Rock. Acting on a tip that Johnson and Garfield were at a hotel, the Arkansas Community Corrections Special Response Team and Little Rock police apprehended them without incident. Court records later suggested a possible motive, indicating that Garfield may have been involved after Graves allegedly urinated on methamphetamine that reportedly belonged to Garfield. However, the pistol used in the shooting was never recovered. Despite the arrests and the alleged motive, the legal proceedings that followed did not result in a conviction for one of the accused. A Little River County jury found Corey Garfield not guilty of second-degree murder in connection with Dennis Graves' death, citing a lack of sufficient evidence and inconsistencies in witness statements.
