On a summer evening in Tucker, Arkansas, the life of Rodney Scaife, a 34-year-old Black man, was tragically cut short. On June 22, 2018, at approximately 9:00 p.m., Scaife was seated in his vehicle on Highway 15 North when he was fatally shot. When Jefferson County Sheriff's deputies arrived at the scene, they found Scaife unresponsive in the driver's seat with a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the location.
The violence of that night did not end with Scaife.
Another man, 34-year-old Trevarland Smith, was also discovered at the scene with a gunshot wound. Smith was rushed to a nearby hospital but ultimately succumbed to his injuries while en route. The double homicide sent shockwaves through the small community and prompted an immediate and intensive investigation by law enforcement.
Witnesses at the scene were able to identify the alleged assailant as 27-year-old Joshua Lasley, who fled after the shooting. This critical information sparked a manhunt for Lasley. The search came to an end on June 27, 2018, when a U.S. Marshals-led Fugitive Task Force, working in conjunction with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office and the Tri-County Drug Task Force, located and apprehended Lasley at a residence in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. He was taken into custody without incident.
Following his arrest, Joshua Lasley was charged with two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of Rodney Scaife and Trevarland Smith. He was held without bond at the W.C. 'Dub' Brassell Adult Detention Center. In March 2023, Lasley's case went to trial in Jefferson County Circuit Court. A jury found him guilty on both counts of first-degree murder. The court sentenced him to consecutive life sentences for each count, with additional time for firearm enhancements, bringing a measure of justice to the families of the two men whose lives were taken on that tragic day.
