In a grim discovery in September 2016, the bodies of 22-year-old Beau DeWitt and his friend, Aaron Brock, also 22, were found in a Pope County auto salvage yard. DeWitt, a male resident of Danville, Arkansas, and Brock had gone to the U-Pull-It Auto Parts yard after it had closed. The two men were searching for parts in the salvage yard when their visit turned fatal.
It was later determined that they had been illegally trespassing on the property.
The chain of events leading to the discovery of their bodies began when the salvage yard manager, Tyler Barefield, 35, called the police to report 'suspicious activity.' When deputies arrived, they found a gruesome scene. Blood was dripping from one of the crushed cars stacked on a pile of vehicles. Inside the compacted vehicle were the bodies of DeWitt and Brock. An investigation revealed that the two men had been shot to death before the car they were in was crushed.
The ensuing investigation quickly focused on Barefield. He was arrested and charged with two counts of capital murder in connection with the deaths of DeWitt and Brock. During his trial, it was revealed that Barefield had premeditated the killings, lying in wait with a rifle to ambush the two men. An investigator testified that Barefield's motive was to put a stop to several break-ins that had occurred at the salvage yard.
In November 2017, a jury found Tyler Barefield guilty of two counts of capital murder. He was subsequently sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. In May 2019, the Arkansas Supreme Court upheld his convictions, solidifying the legal conclusion to the tragic deaths of Beau DeWitt and Aaron Brock.
