A 59-year-old Pine Bluff man accused of fatally shooting a former professional baseball player in downtown Little Rock last year pleaded not guilty this week and asked a judge to lower his bail.
William Goodman has been jailed since his Christmas Eve arrest in the killing that day of 52-year-old John Barfield, who pitched three seasons for the Texas Rangers. Goodman faces a charge of first-degree murder
According to an arrest report, Goodman, an acquaintance of Barfield, went to Barfield's residence on Sherman Street. The two men got into a fight, and Goodman fired a handgun at Barfield, according to the report.
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In a court appearance Monday before Pulaski County Circuit Judge Leon Johnson, Goodman entered a not guilty plea, online records show. Johnson also scheduled a June 21 trial.
Goodman's attorney on Wednesday filed a motion seeking a reduction in his $250,000 bail. The filing notes a number of factors, including that Goodman is in "poor physical health" and that he and "his attorney feel that he is likely to be acquitted in this case."
No response from the prosecution had been filed as of Wednesday afternoon, and Johnson had not ruled on the matter.
Reporter Ryan Tarinelli contributed to this story.