A De Queen, Ark., man is set for a pretrial hearing and trial in July on a first-degree murder charge for his alleged role in fatally shooting a man and then kidnapping another man and stealing his car.
Aaron Loving, 20, faces a murder charge in the shooting death of Amado Gallardo, 37, of De Queen. A pretrial hearing will be July 7, with a trial scheduled for July 27, both in Sevier County Courthouse.
Loving has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder, kidnapping, aggravated robbery and possession of firearms by certain persons.
Sevier County Sheriff's Office received an emergency call at 9:37 p.m. Feb. 28 from Rebecca Roberts, saying someone had been shot at the trailer park on Coulter Street in De Queen, according to the arrest affidavit prepared by Arkansas State Police Special Agent Pete Penney and used to create the following account.
Responding officers reportedly found Gallardo's body on the ground with a gunshot wound to the face.
Roberts told police she heard a gunshot and saw Loving running away. Loving had stayed at Gallardo's residence for two nights, and Gallardo reportedly asked him to leave, according to the affidavit.
While officers were looking for the suspect and processing the crime scene, McCurtain County, Okla., officials notified Sevier County Sheriff's Office that TraShaun Maull, who was at McCurtain County Sheriff's Office, allegedly had his car stolen and had been choked by Loving.
Maull said he was sitting in his car in De Queen when a man matching Loving's description forced his way into the vehicle and told him to drive to Oklahoma, the affidavit states.
While driving to Oklahoma, Loving reportedly said he wanted Maull's car and told Maull he had shot a man in De Queen.
As Maull was driving the car, Loving allegedly jumped in the backseat and put a belt around Maull's neck.
Maull said he slammed on the brakes to stop the car, and Loving jumped up to the front seat, opened the door and allegedly kicked Maull out of the vehicle near Idabel, Okla.
Maull then walked to a nearby house and asked the resident to call 911, the affidavit states.
An officer with the Broken Bow, Okla., police found the stolen vehicle and attempted to make a traffic stop.
Loving refused to stop, and a high-speed chase started, according to the affidavit.
The chase ended in the parking lot of McCurtain County Sheriff's Office. Loving was taken into custody at the jail.
De Queen police Lt. Sonny Kimmell was at McCurtain County Sheriff's Office and headed to his patrol unit to get a camera when the vehicle Loving was driving arrived in the parking lot. The vehicle came to a stop a few feet from Kimmell.
The murder charge carries a potential sentence of 10 to 40 years or life in prison if convicted. The kidnapping charge has a potential sentence of 10 to 40 years or life in prison. Aggravated robbery has a potential sentence of 10 to 40 years or life in prison. Possession of firearms by certain persons carries a sentence of up to six years and a maximum fine of $10,000 if convicted.
Loving remains in the Sevier County jail in De Queen with bail set at $300,000.