On January 30, 2019, the body of 49-year-old Gabriel Ricardo Quispe, a Hispanic male, was discovered at Dripping Springs Cemetery near Uniontown, Arkansas. A visitor to the cemetery found Quispe, who was a resident of Fort Smith, and alerted the authorities. An investigation determined that he had sustained a fatal gunshot wound to the abdomen.
The investigation into Quispe's death quickly led authorities to 24-year-old Jessica Ann Howard of Van Buren.
Howard and Quispe shared a young child, and it was revealed that Quispe had recently been granted partial custody. Authorities believe that Howard lured Quispe to the cemetery under the pretense of a meeting with the intent to rob him. Howard was arrested later the same day in Fort Smith, where she was found in possession of Quispe's vehicle.
Following her arrest, Jessica Ann Howard confessed to shooting Quispe at the cemetery with a semi-automatic handgun. Family members indicated that Quispe had been supportive of Howard, who was reportedly struggling with drug addiction, and they had even attempted an intervention to help her prior to the incident. Howard was charged with first-degree murder, a felony with a firearm, and theft of property. She was held at the Crawford County Detention Center on a $500,000 bond.
