VIDEO: Arkansas man accused of driving corpse to Missouri before getting in shootout with police, family speaks out
INDEPENDENCE COUNTY, Ark. – An Arkansas man arrested in Missouri has now been charged in connection with a murder investigation.
Court records show 40-year-old Jarrett W. Cousins of Bradford is facing a first-degree murder charge and is being held on a million-dollar bond.
Cousins was allegedly involved in a shootout with law enforcement in Festus, Missouri on Dec. 8.
Police say they found the body of 45-year-old Clara Blaxton in the passenger side of his truck after he was taken into custody.
The investigation determined Blaxton had been dead for 24 to 48 hours before the shooting.
An affidavit from a special agent for the Arkansas State Police says Cousins admitted killing Blaxton on a relative’s property in Floral, in Independence County.