The man who killed a Yell County deputy, a woman and her daughter in a May triple homicide took a plea deal in court this morning and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
James Arthur Bowden, who shot and killed Yell County sheriff’s deputy Lt. Kevin Mainhart, 61-year-old Rita Miller and 17-year-old Ciera Miller, reportedly took the plea deal to avoid the death penalty.
Bowden, 42, accepted the plea agreement in a Dardanelle courtroom pleading guilty to three counts of capital murder on Friday.
Mainhart was shot when he stopped Bowden near Slo Fork Road, just off Arkansas 27 in the morning hours on May 11.
A neighbor reported to police that Bowden was back at his residence on Gum Springs Road a little later than morning and that he “may have shot some people,” according to the incident report filed at the time of his arrest.
The bodies of Rita Miller and Ciera Miller were reportedly found in the front yard. Bowden was inside the home with a hostage but surrendered after a standoff with police.
