HOT SPRINGS -- A second-degree murder charge filed against a man in June after he claimed he accidentally shot a woman to death has been upgraded to first-degree murder.
Levar Leron Strickland, 42, of Hot Springs has remained in custody since his arrest June 22 with bond now set at $1 million. He was initially charged with criminal use of a prohibited weapon and possession of a defaced firearm, each a felony punishable by up to six years in prison, stemming from what police said was his use of a sawed-off shotgun with the serial number filed off in the fatal shooting of Stephanie Malicoat, 40, inside their residence at 315 N. Patterson St.
Additional felony charges of second-degree murder, punishable by up to 30 years in prison, and three counts of first-degree endangering the welfare of minor, punishable by up to six years, were filed June 24 because children were reportedly present at the time of the shooting.
The murder charge was upgraded Aug. 8 to first-degree murder, punishable by life in prison, with a new probable cause affidavit filed with additional information. Strickland is set to be arraigned Sept. 3 on all the charges in Garland County Circuit Court.
According to the affidavit, shortly before 7:30 p.m. June 22, Hot Springs police responded to the North Patterson residence after a 911 caller reported his stepfather, identified as Strickland, had shot his mother and was lying on top of her refusing to get off.
When officers arrived, the affidavit said, they found Strickland lying on top of Malicoat in their upstairs bedroom and noted she had a gunshot wound to her right side with an exit wound on her left side. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Strickland told officers he accidentally shot her with a sawed-off shotgun, the affidavit said.
He told police he was kidding around with Malicoat, saying, "Pow, pow, pow," while squeezing the trigger and accidentally shot her , according to the affidavit.
Lampinen said he asked Strickland specifically if he had put a shell into the gun at any point and Strickland said, "Hell no. No sir," and insisted the gun should not have been loaded, according to the affidavit.
It was determined the shotgun was illegal because the barrel was cut down and all the markings had been filed off. The affidavit noted it was a shotgun that requires the shooter to pull the hammer back to a locked position before it can be fired.
There were five children in the home at the time of the shooting, along with one adult witness.
One child stated that prior to the shooting Strickland was mad at Malicoat and "throwing her clothes onto the floor," the affidavit said. The child said Strickland told Malicoat she should "just go kill herself." He said he went into the bedroom and saw his mother lying on the bed while Strickland was sitting on the bed "talking to himself," holding the shotgun.
The boy said he watched Strickland load the gun, the affidavit said. Thechild said he later heard a shot, ran into the room and saw Malicoat had been shot, according to the affidavit.
Metro on 08/17/2019