TEXARKANA -- The Miller County murder case against Justin Howard Petty will go to the jury today.
The prosecution and defense rested Wednesday afternoon after both sides wrapped up testimony in the 8th Judicial District South.
Petty, 36, is accused in the Sept. 29, 2020, shooting of 31-year-old Billy Eddings on Fairview Street. He was arrested in July 2021 on a first-degree murder charge after being in California and Las Vegas for about nine months.
Jurors watched a video Wednesday of Petty's interview with Jason Haak, who was a Texarkana Arkansas Police detective at the time. They also heard testimony from Haak about the scene of the shooting.
Police were called to the 600 block of Fairview the afternoon of Sept. 29 in reference to a shooting, Haak testified. Eddings was discovered dead outside his home "surrounded by shell casings," Haak testified.
Witnesses allegedly identified Petty, also known as J.P., as the shooter and told investigators that Eddings and Petty had been friends but had argued over missing Xanax pills.
The state claims Petty left Eddings' home but returned a short time later and began firing at Eddings with a handgun, striking him at least once in the chest.
In the video of Petty's police interview, he told Haak he never intended to shoot anyone and had actually laid his gun down for a while during the argument.
Jurors also saw video footage from security cameras near the scene of the shooting. Haak testified that based on the video, he believed Petty shot first in the exchange with Eddings.
Haak testified that Eddings had a gun after someone brought one from the house but that he initially held it in his left hand and his finger was not on the trigger. Haak also testified that Petty appeared to be "waving his gun and posturing" and Eddings was retreating "in flight" before the first shot was fired.
Defense attorneys objected to Haak's description of Petty's hands.
The defense called Charles "Lance" Matthews as a witness. Matthews testified that he was at the house with Eddings and the other occupants the day of the shooting. He also said he had purchased pills from Petty.
Matthews is currently a work release inmate with Arkansas Department of Corrections. He testified he has been convicted of drug charges.
Matthews testified that after he bought pills from Petty, Petty left the house but came back twice because he was angry.
"He was asking everybody where his stuff was," Matthews said.
Matthews said Petty pointed his gun at people but "didn't threaten anyone." He testified that Petty wanted to fight physically with Eddings.
"I was trying to tell them both to chill out," he said. "But they wouldn't listen."
Matthews testified he was in the yard when the shooting began and that it was hard to tell who shot first. He said he heard shots but did not see anyone fire.
After the prosecution showed him the video footage of Eddings retreating during cross-examination, Matthews said Petty "had to have" fired the first shot from where he was standing near the street.
If convicted, Petty could face 10 to 40 years or life in prison.