A Mountain View man has received a sentence of 32 and a half years for the 2022 murder of his girlfriend in Cushman.
Court documents say Eli Benjamin Horace Ray (pictured below), 26, entered a negotiated plea of guilty earlier this month for the September 2022 murder of Kayla Shannon Nichelle Lee, 29.
In addition to the 390-month sentence for the first-degree murder count, Ray was also ordered to pay $790 in court costs.
According to the probable cause for arrest affidavit, the Independence County Sheriff’s Department was dispatched to a Third Street residence in Cushman on Sept. 13, 2022, regarding a domestic disturbance. Dispatch first informed deputies that a juvenile inside the home had reported a woman was severely hurt after being physically attacked by her boyfriend, identified in the affidavit as Ray.
The affidavit said a short time later, Ray contacted 911 and told authorities he had killed Lee and would be waiting for law enforcement to arrive.
Upon arrival, deputies discovered Ray in the residence’s front yard, lying on the ground with his hands behind his back. The affidavit said blood was observed all over Ray’s hands and arms. He was detained and secured in a patrol vehicle.
Deputies also noticed a juvenile with a small infant also in the yard, according to the affidavit. After the juvenile told deputies Lee was inside, Lee’s body was discovered in the living room with several puncture wounds and a knife on the floor.
During Ray’s post-Miranda interview, Ray told investigators a verbal argument occurred between him and Lee in the home’s living room. After telling the kids to go outside, Ray said the argument continued until Ray told the authorities, “I flat up snapped, and I killed her,” the affidavit said.
According to the affidavit, the knife found near Lee’s body was consistent with the description of a pocket knife Ray told authorities he had in his pocket during the argument.
Ray was initially placed on a $1 million bond.
Image: Independence County Sheriff’s Department
Have a news tip or event to promote? Email White River Now at news@whiterivernow.com. Be sure to like and follow us on Facebook and Twitter. And don’t forget to download the White River Now mobile app from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store.
Get up-to-date local and regional news/weather from the First Community Bank Newsroom on Arkansas 103.3 KWOZ every weekday morning and afternoon. White River Now updates are also aired on weekday mornings on 93 KZLE, Outlaw 106.5, and Your FM 99.5.
