Fayetteville man charged in wife’s fatal stabbing

FAYETTEVILLE — Prosecutors on Tuesday charged a Fayetteville man with capital murder in the April 16 stabbing death of his wife.

Marcus Joiner, 40, of 1611 E. Thornhill Drive, was arrested April 17. He is being held in the Washington County jail in lieu of $750,000 cash only bond. The felony information charging Joiner with the crime was filed Tuesday in Washington County Circuit Court. He is scheduled to be arraigned Monday.

Prosecuting Attorney Matt Durrett said setting a bond amount is not required, but also isn’t prohibited in capital murder cases. Capital murder is a Class Y felony and is punishable by death or life in prison without parole.

“Being a cash only bond and the amount reflects the seriousness of the event,” Durrett said.

Joiner’s 39-year-old wife, Amy, was found dead, with a knife in her neck, lying in the street in front of her home the night of April 16, according to a report from the Fayetteville Police Department.

Amy Joiner called police at 9:28 p.m. April 16 and said her husband “was intoxicated on alcohol and was ‘being aggressive,’” according to a preliminary police report. She described her husband as shirtless and wearing jeans.

Amy Joiner was initially calm while speaking to the dispatcher, the report states, but suddenly began screaming for help before she stopped responding to the dispatcher. A male voice was heard on the call saying, “You wanted it like this,” according to a recording of the call.

A witness later told police she heard a woman screaming and believed someone was being stabbed. The witness said she saw a man kneeling over someone lying in the street. The witness said the man appeared to be punching or stabbing the person.

When officers arrived, they saw a man wearing only a pair of jeans, later identified as Marcus Joiner, walking away from a body in the street, police said. The man refused commands to stop and entered the house at 1611 E. Thornhill Drive.

The officers found Amy Joiner in the street. She wasn’t breathing, according to the report. The first officer said he could still hear the 911 operator on Amy Joiner’s phone, which was on the ground next to her.

Investigators found a large amount of blood surrounding her body, and several large footprints were found in the blood heading away from the body toward the house in the same direction officers had seen Marcus Joiner walking, police said. The footprints were of bare feet, according to the report.

Police surrounded the house, and after a few minutes, Joiner came out of the residence. Police said he had a single puncture wound in the left side of his chest.

Investigators said Marcus Joiner had cuts on both hands, and his right hand was badly swollen. Officers said they also saw blood on his pants and the bottom of his feet.

Amy Joiner was a partner and doctor at Northwest Arkansas Pathology Associates, according to her obituary.