In the winter of 2015, a tragedy unfolded in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, forever altering the lives of one family. On the morning of January 12th, police responded to a call reporting a gunshot in the 2100 block of South Beech Street. Upon their arrival around 9:30 AM, they discovered the body of 36-year-old Lakechia D. Clark inside her residence. A Black female, Clark had sustained a fatal gunshot wound, marking the city's first homicide of the new year.
The investigation into her death
quickly led authorities to a person of interest. Rashad Williams, a 22-year-old acquaintance of Clark, was arrested in connection with the shooting. Initially, Williams was charged with second-degree murder. He told investigators that the shooting was a tragic accident, claiming that a gun he was holding had fallen and discharged, the bullet striking and killing Clark.
As the Pine Bluff Police Department delved deeper into the circumstances surrounding Clark's death, inconsistencies in Williams' account began to emerge. The evidence collected from the scene did not align with his claim of an accidental shooting. Consequently, the charges against him were amended from second-degree murder to the lesser charge of manslaughter. Following the change in charges, Williams was booked into the Jefferson County Jail to await a probable cause hearing as the investigation continued.
