HOT SPRINGS -- A man arrested last week in the beating of a 75-year-old man pleaded innocent Wednesday to a felony charge of first-degree murder after an initial battery charge was upgraded after the victim's death.
Hunter Allen Byers, 19, of Hot Springs was arrested May 1 and originally charged with aggravated residential burglary, first-degree battery and aggravated assault in the attack on Silas Turner at Turner's home on the night of April 30, according to court documents.
Turner lost an eye and suffered severe brain injuries while being beaten with what a witness described as a black metal object, possibly a tire iron, according to an affidavit. Turner died May 3 after being removed from life support, and on Tuesday Garland County Prosecuting Attorney Michelle Lawrence upgraded the battery charge to first-degree murder.
Byers appeared via videoconference Wednesday in Garland County District Court and pleaded innocent to the murder charge. He had pleaded innocent May 3 to the original charges, and bail was set at $50,000 at that time.
After Turner's death, Lawrence filed a motion to increase the bail in light of the new murder charge, and Wednesday Judge Ralph Ohm set Byers' bail at $750,000.
A felony review hearing is set for June 17.
A gag order limiting pretrial publicity in the case was issued May 3 by Judge Joe Graham. Ohm issued a court order Wednesday barring Byers from having any contact with two witnesses in the case, both employees of the victim.
Byers had been employed by Turner but had been fired three days before the attack, according to a probable-cause affidavit.
State Desk on 05/10/2019