Second suspect pleads guilty to disposing of body in 2017
The second of seven suspects arrested in connection with the death of a local man whose body was found dumped at Greenwood Cemetery last year pleaded guilty Monday to her part in disposing of the body and covering up the crime.
Melissa Jere Wineland, 38, of Hot Springs, who has remained in custody since her last arrest on Feb. 28, pleaded guilty in Garland County Circuit Court to a felony count of tampering with physical evidence and was sentenced to the maximum of six years in prison, with four years suspended. Court costs were expunged for time served.
Wineland also pleaded guilty to felony charges of possession of meth with purpose to deliver and possession of a controlled substance with purpose to deliver and was sentenced to two years in prison on each count to run concurrently with each other and the revocation of her probation from a 2015 conviction on drug charges.
Wineland was charged in connection with the death of Cory Richardson, 31, whose body was
found Oct. 23 next to the cemetery’s main entrance at 701 Greenwood Ave.
An alleged accomplice, Jake Lynn Norwood, 29, of Hot Springs, pleaded no contest July 23 to a felony count of tampering with physical evidence and was sentenced to six years in prison.
Police have arrested four other suspects on various charges in connection with the death of Richardson. An autopsy determined Richardson died as the result of a gunshot entering his upper left buttocks and exiting his abdomen. There was also evidence of post-mortem injuries, including blunt force trauma to his head and a stab wound to his left thigh.
Wineland was arrested Oct. 24, the day after Richardson’s body was found. She was released on $20,000 bond on Dec.
27, 2017, but her bond was later revoked and she was arrested again on Feb. 28.
Norwood was arrested Nov. 5 and James Dean Keyser, 28, of Hot Springs, was arrested Nov. 24 and each charged with tampering with physical evidence. On Nov. 15, police arrested Steven Wood, 43, of Hot Springs, on a felony charge of first-degree murder. Stephanie Shell, 22, of Malvern, was arrested at the same time and charged with hindering apprehension or prosecution, punishable by up to 20 years.
In early December, Hot Springs police asked for the public’s help in locating Donald Franklin Williams, 55, and John Patrick Walker, 43, both being sought for first-degree murder in Richardson’s death. Walker was apprehended Dec. 19 in Garland County by SWAT team members and Williams was arrested in Rockwall, Texas, on Dec. 29.
Williams, who was facing several felony charges in Texas at the time of his arrest there, is still awaiting extradition to Hot Springs. If convicted, Williams, Parker and Wood could face up to life in prison for Richardson’s death.
Keyser and Shell are both set to appear for hearings on Nov.
5. Walker is set for a hearing on the admissibility of any statements he made to investigators on Nov. 13. Wood is set to stand trial on Feb. 12, 2019.
According to previous affidavits, Richardson was killed or severely wounded at 106 N. Patterson St., Wineland’s residence, and transported by car to the cemetery. The car was located and searched the day Richardson was found and reportedly had a large amount of blood in the back seat.
Later that night, an anonymous caller informed police that Norwood had told two people he helped clean a car used in a homicide. The conversation occurred almost 90 minutes before Richardson’s body was found.
On Oct. 24, Wineland was arrested and admitted she and another suspect transported the body to the cemetery from her home and later she and Norwood took the car to a car wash and attempted to clean up the blood.
According to other witnesses, on the afternoon of Oct. 22, Richardson used a counterfeit $100 bill to pay Wood for meth, which Wood got from Williams. Later that same day, Williams allegedly arrived at the residence, angry at Wood for accepting the counterfeit bill, and told Wood to locate Richardson and “deal with it,” and then left.
Williams and his son-in-law, identified as Walker, returned to the Patterson Street residence around 3 a.m. armed with handguns and pistol-whipped Richardson, knocking him to the floor.
Wood allegedly joined in the attack and hit Richardson who tried to flee out a rear door in the kitchen. At that point, Williams allegedly raised his gun and shot in Richardson’s direction.
Williams and Walker were reportedly the only ones in the kitchen with Richardson at the time and continued to beat him before a second shot was fired. The witness said Richardson was face down on the floor, yelling he had been shot as Williams and Walker exited the kitchen.
Williams allegedly began cleaning blood off his hands and the gun, then told witnesses, “y’all better clean this mess up,” as he and Walker left the scene.