In the pre-dawn hours of Sunday, January 25, 2015, Christopher DeMario Brown, a 24-year-old man, was working his shift as a store clerk at the Jordan's Kwick Stop Shell located at 180 Valley Street in the Caddo Valley area of Arkadelphia, Arkansas. At approximately 4:43 AM, the quiet of the morning was shattered when two men entered the convenience store with the intent to rob it.
During the commission of the crime, one of the assailants shot Brown, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
The subsequent investigation, led by the Arkansas State Police Criminal Investigation Division, swiftly moved forward. Video surveillance from the store captured images of the two suspects who entered the store, as well as a third accomplice who remained outside in a late-model four-door Ford Taurus. The vehicle was described as possibly being gray or green. Descriptions of the suspects were circulated to the public in an appeal for assistance. One suspect was described as a heavy-set Black male wearing a white t-shirt with a black long-sleeve shirt underneath and a blue U.S. Polo brand jacket tied around his waist. Another suspect was described as a skinny, short, Black male wearing a gray hooded zip-up jacket and armed with what appeared to be a long barrel revolver. The driver of the getaway vehicle was believed to be a heavy-set Black male wearing a yellow t-shirt.
Within days, the investigation led to the identification and arrest of two men from Pine Bluff. On Thursday, January 29, 2015, James L. Gray, Jr., 36, and Laron Edward Williams, 27, were taken into custody without incident. Both men were charged with Capital Felony Murder and Armed Robbery and were incarcerated at the Clark County Jail in Arkadelphia. At the time of their arrest, law enforcement announced that they were still actively searching for the third suspect involved in the robbery and homicide.
Christopher, a resident of Benton, was a member of the Army National Guard and the Elect Temple COGIC in Benton. His death was mourned by his parents, siblings, fiancée, and grandparents. Funeral services were held on January 31, 2015, at the Elect Temple COGIC Church, and he was laid to rest at Woodlawn Cemetery in Benton.
