Man, 53, pleads innocent in slaying

FORT SMITH -- A 53-year-old man pleaded innocent Wednesday in Sebastian County Circuit Court to a charge of first-degree murder in the shotgun slaying last week of another man.

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Court records show that Dwight Neal Hawley also pleaded innocent to being a felon in possession of a firearm and first-degree terroristic threatening.

During Hawley's brief video arraignment, Circuit Judge J. Michael Fitzhugh appointed a public defender to represent him and set Hawley's bail at $500,000.

Hawley is accused of shooting Carlos Araujo-Mejia, 20, in the face with a 20-gauge shotgun on the evening of July 22 south of downtown near the Poteau River. The area is inhabited by homeless people and known as South Camp.

Police said Araujo-Mejia and his girlfriend, Mindy Garrett, 32, went to Hawley's shelter in the woods to drink alcohol. An argument broke out, and Hawley threatened to kill Garrett, police said.

Hawley confessed to police that after the argument escalated, he took out the shotgun and shot Araujo-Mejia, according to a probable cause affidavit. Garrett fled and called police from a nearby home.

NW News on 07/30/2015

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