Jury trial delayed in murder case

BENTONVILLE — The trial of a Siloam Springs man accused of killing his father was pushed back to April.

Ted Charles Meehan, 31, has pleaded not guilty to capital murder.

Jury selection was scheduled to begin Monday afternoon, but Circuit Judge Robin Green granted a request by Erwin Davis, Meehan’s attorney, for more time to review discovery turned over by prosecutors.

Jury selection is now scheduled to begin April 30. Sixty people will be called to report for jury duty.

More than 50 witnesses have been subpoenaed for the trial.

The judge ordered attorneys to exchange witness lists at least 30 days before trial.

A pretrial hearing is scheduled

April 23. The attorneys must provide the judge with their jury instructions.

Meehan was arrested Sept. 13, 2016, and is being held in the Benton County Jail on a $500,000 bond.

Tim Meehan Sr., 55, was found dead in his bedroom in his home at 15554 Airport Road, just east of Siloam Springs, on Dec. 26, 2014. He was shot once in the head.

The coroner estimated time of death at 8 p.m. Dec. 25, 2014, according to the probable cause affidavit.

Benton County Sheriff ’s Office detectives believe Meehan was the only other person at the home when his father was killed, according to court documents.

Meehan denied killing his father in interviews with detectives. He described a nightmare he had about his father and told a detective he worries every day he will be sent to hell, according to court documents.

Prosecutors aren’t seeking the death penalty. Meehan will be sentenced to life imprisonment without the benefit of parole if he’s convicted of capital murder.

Meehan