FORT SMITH -- An Alexander man was sentenced Thursday in U.S. District Court to 18 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to shooting his wife 10 times during an argument over his drinking, then telling a park ranger that she shot herself.
John Prickett Jr., 52, pleaded guilty in May to federal charges of assault with intent to commit murder and using a firearm during a crime of violence. He was sentenced by U.S. District Judge P.K. Holmes III.
According to court records, Prickett and his wife, Tommie, were camping at the Buffalo River National Park on Sept. 8, 2014, when an argument broke out over his drinking and other matters.
A government sentencing memorandum filed in court last month said Prickett pulled out a .40-caliber handgun and began shooting his wife inside a tent.
According to the memorandum, Tommie Prickett said her husband systematically shot her in each leg and each arm before she started to pass out. Before passing out, she said, they both began yelling for help, and she heard John Prickett say that he would make sure no one believed what she said.
The first park ranger to arrive on the scene saw that Tommie Prickett had gunshot wounds in the neck, arms, stomach, lower abdomen and legs, the memorandum said. She was airlifted to Cox Medical Center in Springfield, Mo., where she underwent multiple surgeries.
The memorandum said John Prickett told the ranger that he did not know who shot his wife. Then he said he believed her gunshot wounds were self-inflicted, and he removed the gun from her right hand, the document said.
The next day, Prickett admitted that he was the one who shot his wife, the memorandum said.
NW News on 10/12/2015