In the late afternoon of Tuesday, September 29, 2020, the life of 31-year-old Billy Ray Eddings was cut short in Texarkana, Arkansas. At approximately 4:30 pm, officers from the Texarkana Arkansas Police Department were dispatched to the 600 block of Fairview Street following reports of shots being fired. As they were en route, the call was upgraded to a shooting.
Upon their arrival, they discovered Eddings's body in the yard of a residence, the area around him littered with shell casings.
Criminal investigators were promptly called to the scene and began to piece together the events that had transpired. Through the collection of evidence and witness testimonies, a suspect was quickly identified as 35-year-old Justin Howard Petty. It was determined that Eddings and Petty, who was also known as 'J.P.,' had once been friends, but their relationship had deteriorated due to a dispute over drugs. This conflict is believed to have culminated in the fatal shooting.
Following the identification of Petty as the primary suspect, an arrest warrant was issued for him on charges of first-degree murder. For months, Petty remained a fugitive from the law. However, his time on the run came to an end in June 2021 when he was apprehended by authorities.
Justin Howard Petty stood trial for the murder of Billy Ray Eddings and was subsequently convicted by a Miller County jury. In a decisive verdict delivered on Wednesday, June 29, 2022, the jury sentenced Petty to life in prison. In addition to the life sentence, he received a 15-year enhancement for the use of a firearm in the commission of the crime, with this term to be served consecutively.
