In the early hours of November 20, 2015, the sounds of gunfire shattered the midnight calm at the Beacon Point Apartments in Texarkana, Arkansas. When police arrived, they discovered a scene of violence that left two men dead. Inside an upstairs apartment lay the body of 22-year-old Travon Staten. Outside, on the apartment complex grounds, officers found 33-year-old Julian Bolton, who had also been shot and killed.
The investigation quickly pointed to a home invasion motivated by drugs and money.
Detectives determined that Julian Bolton was one of several men who had forced their way into Staten's apartment. During the ensuing chaos and exchange of gunfire, both Staten and Bolton were struck. While the other assailants fled, Bolton was left crawling on the grass, suffering from a gunshot wound believed to have been inflicted by one of his own accomplices. It was at this moment that Rashod Rushing, Travon Staten’s cousin and close friend, emerged from the apartment after the initial attackers had left. Rushing, armed with a pistol he had grabbed from the apartment, found the wounded Bolton. He then shot Bolton twice in the head.
The investigation led to the arrest of two men. Rashod Rushing, then 27, was located and apprehended by U.S. Marshals in Dangerfield, Texas, on December 11, 2015. He was initially charged with second-degree murder for the death of Julian Bolton. Another suspect, 27-year-old Justin Damone Johnson, was charged with capital murder in connection with Travon Staten's death. In a subsequent trial, Johnson was acquitted of the charges against him.
In June 2017, Rashod Rushing appeared in court and reached a plea agreement with prosecutors. With the approval of Julian Bolton's family, the charge of second-degree murder was amended to the lesser charge of manslaughter. Rushing pleaded guilty and admitted to shooting Bolton, stating in court that he wanted to apologize to the family for taking their loved one's life. He was sentenced to an eight-year prison term for the killing.
