Suspect in central Arkansas killing faces gun count

A 19-year-old Little Rock murder suspect who had been free on bail was indicted on a federal gun charge Thursday, a week after North Little Rock police charged him in an October armed robbery.

Zereak Zernell Oliver is awaiting trial on accusations that he fatally shot mother of six Regina Annice Jackson, 46, at her Sherwood home in July 2018. He and another man were arrested later that same day after leading police on a high-speed chase that ended in Little Rock.

Oliver spent seven months in jail until he was able to post a $200,000 bond to be released Feb. 2, court filings show.

Thursday's indictment stems from Oliver's Oct. 29 arrest by North Little Rock police, a federal arrest complaint states. According to the report by detective Michael Gibbons, who also serves as a task force officer with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, police encountered Oliver while investigating a complaint about a shoplifter at the Sprint store at 4120 E. McCain Blvd.

During a search, police found a bottle of marijuana and six tablets of suspected Ecstasy, reports said. In the car, police found a fanny pack on the front passenger floorboard that contained a loaded .38-caliber Glock pistol that Oliver said belonged to him, reports said. He told investigators he'd bought the gun two or three days earlier in Little Rock, according to reports.

Two days later, North Little Rock police charged Oliver with aggravated robbery, accusing him of robbing 19-year-old Jakolby Juan Robinson at gunpoint Oct. 6 at the Arrington Apartments at 6301 Camp Robinson Road. According to a police report, Robinson was at the apartments to buy an iPhone from a man he met through Facebook.

The man handed him the phone box, but it was empty when Robinson opened it. The man pulled a gun on Robinson, made him surrender all of his money and then drove away in a white Dodge Charger with two black stripes on each side, according to reports.

Oliver is being held without bail. His murder trial before Pulaski County Circuit Judge Wendell Griffen has not been scheduled, but he's due to appear before the judge Dec. 9. Oliver is also charged with aggravated robbery, committing a terroristic act, tampering with evidence and fleeing.

Sherwood police say Jackson was killed in a shootout started by Oliver after he tried to steal a gun from one of her sons.

Oliver, with 19-year-old Martieo F.D. Nash of Little Rock, had gone to the residence to buy an AR-15 rifle, a "chopper," from Steve Cokley III, but Cokley resisted Oliver's attempt to take the weapon without paying for it, according to reports. Oliver went to his car, got a pistol and opened fire, and Cokley returned fire with the rifle, reports said. Police reported collecting six casings from the gun.

The men fled in a car with Oliver driving, followed by police, reports said. The chase was recorded on Arkansas State Police cameras and shows someone throwing a backpack from the passenger window of the fleeing vehicle. Police found a 9mm pistol and suspected marijuana in the bag, reports said. The chase ended when the car turned onto a dead-end Little Rock street, according to police.

Questioned after his arrest, Oliver admitted to shooting at Cokley but, when told that Jackson had been killed, then denied shooting, police say.

Nash, who now lives in Alexander, was charged with evidence tampering. He is free on $25,000 bond.

Metro on 11/10/2019

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