BENTONVILLE -- A man told police he was in the apartment when one of his roommates shot and killed another roommate, according to court documents filed Thursday
Mei Ka Sin, 23, is being held without bail in the Benton County jail after being arrested Wednesday morning in connection with the roommate's slaying.
Springdale police found Rwabuzisoni Daniel, 21, dead in an apartment at 5325 N. Oak St. on Monday night. The area is in the portion of Springdale that is in Benton County.
An anonymous caller told Springdale police that someone had been shot. The call came in at 7:48 p.m. Monday. Police arrived and found Daniel dead, according to a probable cause affidavit.
A roommate told police he saw an altercation between Sin and Daniel. He identified Sin as the shooter and told police that Sin fled after the shooting, according to the affidavit.
A second witness also told police she was in the apartment. She told police that Daniel went into a bedroom and Sin followed him. She then heard arguing, according to the affidavit.
She reported hearing gunshots and that Sin was holding a hunting rifle, according to the affidavit.
Police found spent shell casings on the bedroom floor and another shell casing in the bathroom, according to the affidavit.
Sin appeared in court Thursday for a bail hearing. Sin is from Burma, and an interpreter was used by telephone for the hearing.
Jay Saxton, Benton County's chief public defender, told Circuit Judge Robin Green that he did not believe prosecutors have probable cause for capital murder. Saxton requested Sin be held on a first-degree murder charge.
Benton County prosecutor Nathan Smith said the probable cause affidavit and witnesses statements are the basis for capital murder.
Smith requested that Sin be held without bail. Saxton asked Green to set bail at not more than $100,000.
Green said she had read the affidavit and found probable cause exists to hold Sin on capital murder.
Sin told Green through the interpreter that he came to the United States as a refugee and he has lived in Arkansas for six months. Sin said he has family who live in other states, but none in Arkansas.
Sin said he previously lived in Nacogdoches, Texas, and Houston.
State Desk on 07/21/2017