Man pleads guilty, gets life sentence in killing of Arkansas sheriff's deputy, 2 others

James Bowden
James Bowden

DARDANELLE — A man charged in the shooting deaths of an Arkansas sheriff's lieutenant, a woman and a teenage girl pleaded guilty Friday, avoiding a possible death penalty but ensuring he will spend the rest of his life behind bars.

James Arthur Bowden, 42, appeared in a Yell County courtroom Friday morning and pleaded guilty to three counts of capital murder in the deaths of Yell County sheriff's office Lt. Kevin Mainhart, 46; Rita Miller, 61; and Ciera Miller, 17.

"I’m really sorry about what happened," Bowden told the families of the three victims after entering the plea. "I can’t be forgiven, so I won’t ask."

Click here for larger versions
Photos by Benjamin Krain

Mainhart was shot when he stopped Bowden near Slo Fork Road, just off Arkansas 27 on May 11.

Around 7:45 a.m. that day, a neighbor told police that Bowden was back at his residence on Gum Springs Road and that he "may have shot some people," police said.

The bodies of Rita Miller and Ciera Miller were reportedly found in the front yard. Bowden was inside the home with a hostage — Haley McHam, 31, of Yell County.

After a seven-hour standoff, Bowden released McHam and surrendered. His sister, Julie Inmon, previously told The Associated Press that her brother is mentally ill.

McHam gave a victim's impact statement at Bowden's hearing Friday.

Rita Miller’s son, Chris Miller, also gave a victim impact statement during his sentencing. An official from Arkansas State Police spoke on behalf of Mainhart’s family.

Defense attorney Bill James, who represented Bowden, said in a phone interview after the hearing that he was “glad we were able to complete it as quickly as we did.”

“It was going to be a hard case for everybody, especially, obviously, the family of the people who were deceased,” James said.

“He knew he couldn't make it better. But he didn't want to cause any more pain," James said of his client.

When asked about the deal, deputy prosecuting attorney Marcus Vaden said he believes in the death penalty "very strongly." Bowden’s case is “one of the many cases I’ve handled that it would have been appropriate,” he said.

However, death sentences often take decades to be fulfilled, Vaden said. The process “just re-victimizes the victims over and over again."

That was not something many of the victims' family members wanted to go through, he said.

In a statement, Mainhart's family remembered him as a man who devoted his life to public service. He left for U.S. Air Force basic training on his 18th birthday. He was posted overseas during Operation Desert Storm and was sent again to Saudi Arabia for peacekeeping, the statement said.

Mainhart then worked at various law enforcement agencies in Arkansas for the next 25 years. He left the West Memphis Police Department for the Yell County sheriff's office to be closer to his extended family.

"You took the life of a husband, father, son, brother, uncle, grandson, nephew, cousin and friend. ... You took away our right to say goodbye to Kevin, to be able to hold his hand or touch his face one final time," the family wrote.

"There is no sentence harsh enough for what you have done and taken from us. ... Someday you will have to answer to God. May He show you the same mercy you showed Kevin."

Read Saturday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.

Upcoming Events