Charges upped to first-degree murder after victim dies
MILLER COUNTY, Ark. — A man alleged to have shot another Dec. 9 on Line Ferry Road was re-arrested and charged with first-degree murder Wednesday, a day after the victim died.
A Miller County Sheriff’s Office investigator booked Chris Basham, 34, of Texarkana into the Miller County Detention Center, according to an MCSO news dispatch. Basham faces a charge of murder in the first degree and two counts of terroristic act in the death of Donald Hayworth Jr., 38, of Miller County.
Basham had previously been released on a $250,000 bond after being charged with first-degree battery in the incident. He will remain in jail pending arraignment on the new charges.
Hayworth died Tuesday. On Dec. 9, he had been transported by ambulance to CHRISTUS St. Michael Hospital, where he underwent surgery for injuries caused by a shotgun blast.
Based on preliminary information obtained from witnesses, Hayworth allegedly had been involved in a verbal dispute with Basham. During the dispute, during which Hayworth was allegedly armed with a bat, Basham, who was allegedly armed with a shotgun, fired the weapon, striking Hayworth in the torso. Basham had left the scene prior to deputies’ arrival on Line Ferry Road.
Basham spoke with the Miller County Criminal Investigation Division by telephone and agreed to meet with investigators at the MCSO. A weapon believed to have been involved in the incident was recovered. Miller County investigators also executed a search warrant on a vehicle that is related to the investigation.