YELL COUNTY (KFSM) — A Dardanelle man pleaded guilty to capital murder charges in the deaths of a Yell County deputy and two others during a plea hearing on Friday morning (June 23).
James Bowden, 32, pleaded guilty to three counts of capital murder, according to the Yell County prosecuting attorney’s office. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Lieutenant Kevin Mainhart, 46, was shot and killed while conducting a traffic stop on May 11.
Mainhart was on his way to a domestic disturbance call on Gum Springs Road, not far from the traffic stop. A civilian saw that the deputy had been shot and notified police.
The bodies of Rita Miller, 61, and Ciera Miller, 17, were found at the Gum Springs Road address, according to an ASP release. Bowden was accused of fatally shooting both women.
Bowden held a woman, Haley McHam, 31, as hostage during a five-hour standoff with police at another residence nearby. Sadler said Bowden let McHam go during one point in the standoff. He was arrested later that afternoon.
