Larry Wayne Natt

Larry Wayne Natt, a 70-year-old Black man, was a well-respected member of the Hot Springs, Arkansas, community where he had lived since he was an infant. Originally from Stamps, Arkansas, Mr. Natt was known for his intelligence and his passion for education. He was a graduate of Langston High School and earned a degree in Mathematics from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. His career included work as a math teacher and a foreman for GMC. A father and grandfather, Mr. Natt was remembered by friends and family as a man with a gift for making others feel capable of conquering the world.

On the late morning of May 18, 2021, police in Hot Springs responded to a call about a possibly deceased person at a residence on Pleasant Valley Street. Inside the home, they discovered the body of Mr. Natt. The circumstances surrounding his death, which was the result of gun violence, led the Hot Springs Police Department's Criminal Investigations Division to investigate the case as a homicide.

The investigation yielded its first significant breakthrough nearly a month later. On June 22, 2021, authorities arrested 25-year-old James Anthony Barron with assistance from the Arkansas Community Corrections SRT Team, the Arkansas State Police, and the Russellville Police Department. Barron was charged with first-degree murder and taken to the Garland County Detention Center, where he was held without bond.

Law enforcement continued to pursue leads, and more than two years later, a second suspect was apprehended. On September 29, 2023, the Hot Springs Police Department arrested 58-year-old Lee Oliver Counts Sr., also a resident of Hot Springs. He was also charged with first-degree murder in connection with Mr. Natt's death and was booked into the Garland County Detention Center without bond.

The case against the accused proceeded through the legal system. In April 2025, a murder trial began for a suspect accused in the May 2021 shooting death of Larry Wayne Natt Sr.