Bail set at $500,000 for men accused in Texarkana killing

TEXARKANA — Two men facing capital murder charges for a fatal shooting Feb. 3 at a Texarkana apartment complex remained jailed Friday afternoon in Miller County.

Keanu White, 23, and Jucquian Tyson, 22, appeared before District Judge Wren Autrey on Wednesday afternoon in Miller County District Court, where bail was set at $500,000 for each.

White and Tyson are accused in the death of Phillip Lee, who was found dead Feb. 3 at Village Park South Apartments.

Lee, 23, was in possession of $3,000 to $4,000 in cash prior to his death, according to a probable cause affidavit. Robbery is believed to have been the motive for the killing.

Texarkana police were called to Village Park South Apartments on East Street shortly before noon Feb. 3 and found Lee on the ground outside his apartment with gunshot wounds in his chest, side and wrist, according to an affidavit. He was pronounced dead that evening at a Texarkana hospital.

Using video surveillance, police identified a silver Lincoln Town Car as possibly being involved in the crime. The car’s owner was found and interviewed, but authorities determined the car’s owner was not in possession of the car at the time of the shooting.

Police said the Lincoln’s owner traded cars with Tyson and White about 9 a.m. Feb. 3 at the Sandflat Center. The Lincoln’s owner took possession of a black and white Ford Crown Victoria, an old police car, and White and Tyson drove away in the Lincoln, according to an affidavit.

Sometime after noon Feb. 3, the Lincoln was returned to its owner during a meeting at Sunset Apartments, police said. The Lincoln’s owner told police that Tyson “seemed off” and was listening to a police scanner app on his cellphone, the affidavit said.

The Lincoln’s owner told investigators that he hid the car at his mother’s home after hearing via the police scanner app that authorities were on the lookout for it, according to the affidavit.

Court records and Texarkana Gazette archives show that Tyson and White have been co-defendants before.

In 2017, Tyson, White and Lee were charged, along with a fourth man, in the burglary of a Texarkana pawn shop. The charges were ultimately dismissed.

In 2016, White and Tyson were charged with car thefts in Texarkana.

White is serving a fiveyear term of felony probation for residential burglary and theft of a firearm in Miller County. He pleaded guilty to the charges in October, court records show. Officials are expected to file a motion to revoke his probation in light of his capital murder arrest.

At the time of his arrest this month, Tyson was free on a $100,000 bond posted in a pending robbery case in Miller County. Records show Tyson made a court appearance in that case Feb. 4, the day after Lee’s murder. Officials are expected to file a motion to revoke his bond in the robbery case.

If found guilty of capital murder in Lee’s death, White and Tyson face life without the possibility of parole or the death penalty.