On a cold December day in 2017, the quiet community of Stuttgart, Arkansas, was disturbed by a grim discovery. The body of 57-year-old Curtis Wayne Urquhart Sr., a Black/African American male, was found discarded in a roadside ditch off Highway 79 and Gingrich Road on December 11th. The cause of his death was a gunshot wound to the head, a violent end to a life that would soon become entangled in a complex and far-reaching criminal investigation.
Investigators quickly identified a
suspect, Kirkland Warren of Pine Bluff, who was 22 years old at the time. During questioning, Warren reportedly admitted to his involvement in the crime, confessing that he had shot Urquhart in the head while they were together in a vehicle. Following the alleged confession, Warren was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in connection with Urquhart's death. The Arkansas State Police Criminal Investigation Division led the homicide investigation, piecing together the events that led to the tragic death.
Despite the serious charges, Warren was released on a $250,000 bond. His trial for the murder of Curtis Urquhart was scheduled for December 2022 but was delayed at the request of his defense. The case took a startling turn in March 2023 when Warren became a person of interest in a double homicide in Washougal, Washington, involving his former girlfriend and her young daughter. This development prompted prosecutors in Arkansas to seek the revocation of his bond, arguing that he posed a significant flight risk and a danger to the community. The legal proceedings in Arkansas were further complicated by allegations of judicial bias, as Warren's father was a judge in Pine Bluff. As of recent reports, the case concerning the death of Curtis Wayne Urquhart Sr. remains a painful chapter for his family, still awaiting a final resolution in the courts.
