A 91-year-old Arkansas man has died after being attacked by two people who had inquired about a vehicle he had for sale, according to authorities.
Two men — Tommy Trosper, 25, of Searcy and James “Jake” Miller, 21, of Griffithville — are each being held on charges of capital murder and kidnapping in the attack, the White County sheriff’s office said in a statement.
Both were initially booked into the White County jail on charges of second-degree battery and kidnapping, records show. The battery charges were upgraded after Judsonia resident Edward Franklin Vaughn’s death.
Authorities say Vaughn had agreed to meet with the two to discuss a car for sale. Vaughn later followed Trosper and Miller to another location, where he was assaulted while his hands were bound, the statement reads.
The sheriff's office responded to the assault around 8 a.m. April 10 in the 100 block of Ranes Road in Judsonia, which is about 5 miles north of Searcy in White County.
Vaughn was transported to the Unity Health White County Medical Center and later transferred to a Little Rock hospital, where he was pronounced dead, authorities said Wednesday.
His body has been taken to the state Crime Laboratory in Little Rock for an autopsy.
Trosper was found in Searcy by the Searcy Police Department and arrested on unrelated warrants. Miller was located in Judsonia.
Trosper and Miller remained at the White County jail as of Wednesday evening without bail, the sheriff’s office said. They are set to appear May 6 in White County Circuit Court.