FAYETTEVILLE -- A local man pleaded not guilty in Washington County Circuit Court on Monday in connection with the death of woman whose body was dumped along Interstate 49 the day after Christmas.
Lazarus Reaves, 29, of 29 W. Village Lake Drive, was initially arrested in connection with possession of firearm by certain persons and tampering with physical evidence. He was subsequently charged with capital murder in the death of Shaletian Robin Zetta Larry, 27, of Conyers, Ga.
Reaves' next court appearance is set for April 27 before Circuit Judge Joanna Taylor.
Arkansas State Police were told a black BMW four-door sedan with a Georgia license plate was being driven recklessly in the southbound lanes of Interstate 49. The car was seen leaving the highway at the Exit 67A ramp.
A witness told troopers a woman's body fell from the car. Larry was taken to Washington Regional Medical Center where she was pronounced dead. The investigators found a spent .40-caliber shell casing at the scene.
A witness said the BMW stopped on the highway at Exit 67A, adding Larry was lying face down on the road and a man was near her, according to a report from the prosecuting attorney's office. The man left the woman and drove away.
The BMW drove south on Garland Avenue, ran several red lights and turned onto Drake Street, the witness said. A police officer followed a car matching the description of the BMW into the Village Lake Apartment complex, but lost sight of it.
The license plate was registered to a Kia Soul with Larry as the registered owner. Fayetteville police later found the BMW in a parking space in the complex and arrested Reaves when he came out, according to the report. Reaves had the keys to the BMW in his pocket.
Police found a 9mm handgun and a .40-caliber magazine in the car and .40-caliber ammunition in the apartment. Officers then found a .40-caliber handgun in a dumpster at the apartment complex.
Surveillance video and cell phone images showed Reaves with Larry shortly before she was found on the highway.