On the night of April 2, 2015, a group of five individuals set out with a grim purpose that would end in the death of 60-year-old Ritchie Lee Lynch in his Booneville, Arkansas home. The group, consisting of Nick Charles Stoicu, Joseph Oliah Hals Brown, Robert Melton, Teresa Bennett, and Dave Ann Townsend, planned to rob Lynch of money and drugs. Bennett, familiar with the area, directed the others to Lynch's residence.
They parked their maroon SUV down the road, and while the two women, Bennett and Townsend, remained in the vehicle, the three men proceeded toward the house on foot.
As they approached, Robert Melton stood as a lookout at the gate while Stoicu, armed with a rifle, and Brown, carrying a handgun, entered Ritchie Lee Lynch's home. A short time later, the sound of gunshots broke the night's silence. Stoicu and Brown then emerged from the residence carrying a black bag. They callously told Melton that they had shot Lynch and 'left him lying there.' The fatal encounter was later confirmed by an autopsy, which revealed Lynch had been shot five times. His body was discovered on April 3, 2015, and his death was ruled a homicide.
Following the murder, the group fled the scene and drove to a residence in Waldron in an attempt to cover their tracks. There, Stoicu and Brown dismantled the firearms used in the killing. For his participation, Melton was offered $800 in cash and 17 grams of methamphetamine, but he refused the payment. During the subsequent investigation, Bennett admitted to her role in showing the others where Lynch lived and recalled the men saying 'it had gone bad' upon their return to the vehicle. The multi-agency investigation ultimately led to the arrest of all five individuals.
The wheels of justice turned for those responsible for Lynch's death. Nick Charles Stoicu and Joseph Oliah Hals Brown, the two men who entered the house and shot Lynch, both pleaded to second-degree murder and received 30-year sentences in the Arkansas Department of Correction. Teresa Bennett pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of robbery and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Robert Melton faced charges of first-degree murder, aggravated robbery, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Dave Ann Townsend was charged with aggravated robbery.
