FAYETTEVILLE : Inquiry continues into beating death as 2 suspects held
Posted on Wednesday, January 7, 2009
FAYETTEVILLE - The investigation into the beating death of a Fayetteville man should move forward based on information gleaned from an autopsy that's expected to be finished today.
"A big part of this whole jigsaw puzzle is the autopsy. Once that's done I think pieces will start falling into place," said David Williams, a Fayetteville police detective.
Williams said Tuesday there are several theories as to what started the fight that ended with the death Monday of Kent Thomas Crigler, 49.
Cheyenne Cody Shinault, 29, and Terry Don Lankford, 36, are being held in the Washington County jail on charges of second-degree murder in connection with his death.
The men told police they kicked and punched Crigler during a fight at 969 W. Holly St., a small apartment building owned by Crigler's sister, police reports state.
Shinault told police the fight started when Crigler didn't want him speaking to a female friend, according to police reports.
Lankford repeatedly said he didn't know what prompted the fight.
Investigators are searching for the woman described by Shinault, Williams said.
Police also are looking into a theory offered by Crigler's father, who believes the fight started because of a pending eviction.
"I'm convinced that there's more to this story, and we're going to continue to investigate until we get to the real truth," Williams said.
Shinault and Lankford were arrested on outstanding warrants near Saw Grass and Village Lake drives less than two hours after hospital staff report- ed Crigler's death, police reports state.
Both men had dark red stains on their clothes and shoes, police reports state. They also were carrying a crescent wrench believed to be Crigler's.
Both men told police they had kicked and punched Crigler during the fight. They took the wrench because Crigler tried to hit them with it, the reports state.
Both men have been in the custody of the Arkansas Department of Correction several times, said spokesman Dina Tyler.
Tyler said Lankford was listed as an absconder on Dec. 15, after he stopped reporting to his parole officer. Shinault was set to complete his parole Jan. 18, Tyler said.
Lankford was sentenced to seven years in prison for theft by receiving and criminal mischief on May 8, 1992. He was sentenced to eight years in prison on Sept. 25, 2001, for manufacture and distribution of methamphetamine.
Records show Lankford again was sent to prison on June 17, 2003, for theft of property and possessing anhydrous ammonia in an unlawful container. He was released on parole on Sept. 4.
Shinault was sentenced on Feb. 20, 2003 to five years in prison for manufacture, delivery and possession of a controlled substance.
On March 27, 2006, he returned to state custody for the same charge on a three-year sentence. He was released July 21.
Crigler did maintenance work on the apartment building at 969 W. Holly St., which is owned by his sister Marsha Beard.
Beard said Crigler had been changing the locks on a unit. She said she did not know much about what happened.
"As far as I know he was just doing his job, and these guys attacked him," Beard said.
Crigler was a father of four and not a violent man, Beard said. He liked to play video games with his children and work on cars.
"He worked on cars a lot. Usually broken ones," she said. "I don't know if it's what he had to do or what he wanted to do."
To contact this reporter:
awallworth@arkansasonline.com
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