In the autumn of 2016, a mother's concern initiated a lengthy investigation into the disappearance of her son, Mark Hays, from Malvern, Arkansas. The Hot Spring County Sheriff's Office was first contacted in September of that year when she reported him missing. This report would eventually unravel a story of a brutal and calculated murder. Hays, a 26-year-old Caucasian male, born on November 22, 1989, was a graduate of Poyen High School who enjoyed mud riding and spending time with his loved ones.
The investigation into Hays's disappearance led authorities to identify two persons of interest, Anthony Dion Williams and his co-defendant, Shelby Montgomery Jr. As the case progressed, a grim picture of Hays's final moments began to emerge. Court records would later assert that the murder was committed in an 'especially cruel or depraved manner,' with allegations that he was begging for his life. Over a year after he was reported missing, in November 2017, a decomposed body, later identified as Mark Hays, was discovered along a roadway in Perla.
Crucial evidence in the case was unearthed in October 2017 when authorities recovered a. 22-caliber rifle that had been converted into a pistol from the bottom of a well outside a home in Rockport. The following month, the FBI Evidence Recovery Team excavated the site where Hays's body was found and collected two shell casings. Ballistic analysis later tied these casings to the recovered firearm. Coupled with statements from multiple witnesses and Williams's own admission of being at the scene, authorities charged him in connection with the murder.
Anthony Dion Williams and Shelby Montgomery Jr. were both taken into custody and charged with capital murder. Williams was booked into the Hot Spring County Detention Center in September of the following year, with his bond set at $750,000. Montgomery was taken into custody in November 2022 and held on a $1 million bond. A series of legal motions filed after their arrests caused multiple delays in bringing the case to trial.
