An Arkansas Drug Kingpin Was Gunned Down Just Days Before He Was Set to Testify

The FBI and Randolph County Sheriff’s Department were all anybody could talk about in 2011 after the results of a lengthy investigation implicated several of the small town’s high rollers in a large methamphetamine operation.

In May of that year, a tip from the local farm supply store led to a traffic stop where an officer found a rolling meth lab in a truck driven by local attorney Bob Castleman and his much younger girlfriend, Rebecca Spray. Castleman had once represented Spray in a criminal case, but his professional assistance turned personal. At the time of the traffic stop, Castleman and Spray had already been involved for a decade. After Castleman’s arrest, authorities searched his rural farm where they found evidence of a significant meth-cooking operation on the property.

Castleman’s son, Jerrod, was home at the time of the search and authorities learned that there was a larger criminal drug ring in play. Another local man, Travis Perkins, was the meth cook and dealer. Jerrod provided the chemicals while his father provided the covert space to make meth so nobody would be able to smell its pungent odor as it cooked.

Jerrod also had some other information: the police chief’s wife was involved. She worked in a local judge’s office, and authorities set up a surveillance operation. Sure enough, Perkins would come by the office after dark and leave about a gram of methamphetamine hidden in the flowerbed. The next day, the police chief’s wife would take the drugs and leave Perkins’ payment.

Federal indictments were issued as soon as there was enough evidence gathered. Perkins, Spray, both Castlemans, and the chief’s wife were all arrested and placed on supervised release pending their trial.

The trial was set for 2013, and Perkins was set to testify for the state. Three days before he was due to take the stand, two gunshots rang out from his downtown Pocahontas apartment.

When Travis was finally located, authorities discovered a grizzly scene in his windowless apartment. He had been shot twice — once in the face and once in the neck. He was lying face-up on the bed, and it looked as if he was getting up off his bed to greet somebody when he was shot and fell backward onto the bed. There were two spent shell casings on the floor, blood splattered across the wall, and no sign of forced entry.

Police immediately had some suspects in mind.

See how the dust settled on Murder in the Wicked West on ID on Jan. 9 at 9/8c.