Man, 19, pleads innocent in killing

Ex-employer died in beating, files say

HOT SPRINGS — A man charged with first-degree murder in the beating death of a 75-year-old former employer earlier this year pleaded innocent Monday in Garland County Circuit Court.

Hunter Allen Byers, 19 has remained in custody since his arrest May 1 and appeared with his attorney, Garland County Public Defender Tim Beckham, to enter his plea. If convicted, Byers faces up to life in prison in the April 30 attack on Silas Turner, who died from his injuries three days later.

A gag order limiting pretrial publicity previously issued in Garland County District Court was re-entered Monday in circuit court along with a court order barring Byers from having contact with two alleged witnesses, both employees of the victim. Byers is scheduled to appear for another hearing Aug. 12.

Byers was initially charged with first-degree battery, punishable by up to 20 years in prison, in the attack on Turner, along with charges of aggravated residential burglary and aggravated assault.

Turner reportedly lost an eye and sustained severe brain injuries while being beaten with what a witness described as a black metal object, possibly a tire iron. After Turner’s death, Prosecuting Attorney Michelle Lawrence upgraded the battery charge to first-degree murder on May 7.

Byers’ bond, which was originally set at $50,000, was increased May 8 to $750,000 in district court.

According to the probable-cause affidavit, Hot Springs police responded shortly after 11 p.m. April 30 to an address on Judy Court after a man showed up there yelling for help. The man said a known suspect, later identified as Byers, had attacked Turner at his residence nearby, the affidavit said.

Police found Turner unconscious on the floor in “a pool of blood” with obvious signs of trauma to his head and face, the affidavit said. He was transported to CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs, where he later died.

The witness told detectives that he had just been hired by Turner to replace a former employee Turner had fired a few days earlier. The witness said he had also moved in with Turner earlier that day. He said he met the former employee a couple of days earlier but couldn’t remember his name, the affidavit said.

He told police the same man showed up at the house around 11 p.m. and knocked on the door, according to the affidavit. The witness answered and, seeing who it was, called for Turner, who walked to the door as the witness went toward his bedroom, the affidavit said. Seconds later, the witness said, he heard Turner yelling for help and saw the man beating Turner with a metal object, according to the affidavit.

The witness said he tried to help Turner, but the man went after him, still holding the metal object, according to the affidavit. The witness said he fought him off and fled from the house to get help, according to the affidavit. The witness gave police the name of another employee of the victim’s, who later told police the man was named Hunter and lived at a residence on Michael Street, according to the affidavit.

A local records check revealed that was the address of Hunter Allen Byers, who was “an exact match” to the description given by the witness, the affidavit said. The second employee said he had known Byers for about a year and confirmed that Turner had fired him earlier. The first witness later picked Byers out of a photo lineup and identified him as Turner’s attacker, the affidavit said.