Man gets prison for rapes

HOT SPRINGS — A Hot Springs man was sentenced to 60 years in prison Friday for the rapes of two young boys in 2020 and 2021 after a four-day jury trial in Garland County Circuit Court.

Daion Amaud Morehead, 23, who has remained in custody in lieu of a $125,000 bond since his arrest on Oct. 7, 2021, was sentenced to 30 years each on two counts of rape, to be served consecutively, for a total of 60 years, and 20 years each on two counts of second-degree sexual assault, to be served concurrently with each other and the rape sentences.

Morehead, who listed no prior criminal history before his arrest, will have to serve 70% of his sentence, or 42 years, before he is eligible for parole, Deputy Prosecutor Caitlin Bornhoft told The Sentinel-Record Friday evening after the trial.

“These are truly difficult types of cases to hear about, including for jurors,” she said. “They took a lot of care in listening and note taking, and I think their verdict really reflected that, and we are thankful for their service to the case and to the victims and community.”

After hearing three days of testimony beginning Tuesday and closing arguments on Friday, the jury deliberated for about four and a half hours before finding Morehead guilty on all counts, but were hung up at one point.

“They had reached a unanimous verdict on two of the counts, but were hung up on the other two so (Judge Ralph Ohm) read them the deadlocked jury instruction and they deliberated for about another two hours before coming back with guilty on all counts,” Deputy Prosecutor Brock Price said Friday.