News

FINAL PB MURDER SUSPECT SURRENDERS

By Ray King/OF THE COMMERCIAL STAFF
Wednesday, October 28, 2009 2:07 PM CDT

The final suspect in the shooting death of a Pine Bluff man on Oct. 21 surrendered to police Tuesday morning.

Bruce Edward Shelton Jr.

Lt. Bob Rawlinson said Bruce Edward Shelton Jr., 18, was accompanied by his attorney when he turned himself in at about 10 a.m. and was immediately arrested on probable cause of one count of capital murder, one count of kidnapping, two counts of aggravated robbery, one count of theft of property, and one count of attempted theft of property.

Shelton was being sought in the death of James Earl Lee, 31, whose body was found inside a room at America’s Best Inn at 2700 E. Harding Ave. Lee was pronounced dead at 6:30 a.m. by Jefferson County Deputy Coroner Kim Phillips. The cause of death was listed as apparent gunshot wounds to the upper body.

Police said Shelton, Marcus McAfee, 15, and Lee had gone to the motel to rob Kenneth Darrough, 28, who was in a room with Aleisha Sims, 18, and that Sims had set up the robbery by sending text messages to Shelton, McAfee and Lee during the night.

Darrough told police that Sims demanded to be taken home at about 6 a.m. and when they left the room, were approached by three masked men, two armed with handguns and the third with a shotgun.

He said he started to run and the men opened fire. Darrough, a convicted felon, later admitted he was armed with a handgun and returned fire, possibly resulting in Lee’s death.

Police reported that Lee was found inside the room, appeared to have a mask on his face, and had a black gun under his left hand.

Shelton was also being sought for kidnapping, aggravated robbery and theft of property in connection with a non-related incident that involved Sims, as well as Latara Boyd, 17, on Sept. 18.

Police said Jerry Cobbs reported that he had been at his home on Lakewood Lane with Sims when three black males waving guns came into the house, forced him to the floor and covered his eyes with duct tape, and took computers, jewelry, a cell phone, his wallet and a bank card.

Cobbs, who later admitted he had been involved in a relationship with Sims for about a year, said the men forced him into his vehicle and drove to several automatic teller machines where they withdrew cash, then forced him out of the vehicle behind Dollarway High School.

Several days after the robbery, police released a photo of one of the suspects using an automatic teller machine and he was identified as Michael Deshun Smith, 19, also of Pine Bluff.

Boyd was accused of calling Cobbs and demanding money in return for not telling Cobbs’ wife about his involvement with Sims, and with participating in the robbery with Sims, Shelton and Smith.

During a probable cause hearing last Friday, Circuit Judge Rob Wyatt Jr. ruled prosecutors had probable cause to charge McAfee and Sims with capital murder, aggravated robbery and attempted theft of property in the death of Lee, and probable cause to charge Sims and Boyd with kidnapping, aggravated robbery and theft of property in connection with the incident involving Cobbs. McAfee and Boyd will be charged as adults, prosecutors said.

Sims and McAfee are being held without bond, and Wyatt set a $150,000 bond for Boyd, who was also ordered to have no contact with Cobbs until the case is settled.

Shelton is expected to appear in circuit court for a probable cause hearing this afternoon.

Print this story   |   Email this story