On the night of April 2, 2015, five people set out to rob 60-year-old Ritchie Lee Lynch at his Booneville, Arkansas home. Teresa Bennett, who knew the area, directed the group to Lynch’s residence. Bennett and Dave Ann Townsend stayed in a maroon SUV while Nick Charles Stoicu, Joseph Oliah Hals Brown, and Robert Melton went to the house on foot. Melton acted as a lookout at the gate while Stoicu, armed with a rifle, and Brown, carrying a handgun, entered the home.

Gunfire was heard shortly afterward. Stoicu and Brown came back out carrying a black bag and told Melton they had shot Lynch and left him lying there. Lynch’s body was found on April 3, 2015; an autopsy showed he had been shot five times and his death was ruled a homicide. The group fled and later went to a Waldron residence where Stoicu and Brown dismantled the firearms. Melton was offered cash and methamphetamine for his role but refused.

Arrests followed. Stoicu and Brown pleaded to second-degree murder and received 30-year sentences; Bennett pleaded guilty to a reduced robbery charge and was sentenced to 10 years. Melton faced charges including first-degree murder, aggravated robbery, and being a felon in possession of a firearm; Townsend was charged with aggravated robbery. Did anyone know Lynch or have information about his activities in Booneville in the weeks before April 2, 2015?