On November 20, 2018, 22-year-old Tyler Scott Garska was found dead of a gunshot wound to the head in room 223 of the Super 8 Motel on Walton Boulevard in Bentonville, Arkansas. A housekeeper discovered Garska, a father of two, and authorities determined his death was a homicide tied to a robbery.

Surveillance footage showed six people, including Garska and 18-year-old Walter James Bryan of Rogers, entering the room; later only five were seen leaving. Witness statements conflicted: some initially said Garska and Bryan were playing a dangerous game of Russian roulette, while another witness said Bryan shot Garska after an argument. Investigators allege Bryan later confessed to a friend that he had shot Garska and that he threatened witnesses to keep them from speaking to police. Bryan’s sister Shayla Bryan was arrested for hindering apprehension after she said she panicked and did not call for help.

Walter James Bryan was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, aggravated robbery, intimidating a witness, and tampering with physical evidence; bond was set at one million dollars and he pleaded not guilty.