McDONALD COUNTY — The second-degree murder trial of an Arkansas man accused of shooting his girlfriend’s ex-love interest is set to get under way with jury selection at 1 p.m. Tuesday in front of Judge Timothy Perigo.
Brian Clapper, 31, of Bentonville, Ark., is accused of shooting John Bevill II, 34, twice with a 12-gauge pump shotgun, once in the chest and once in the groin, during an incident Sept. 23, 2011, in the eastern part of the county.
Clapper and his girlfriend, Karis Cunigan, were removingsome of her belongings from a storage shed when they were spotted by Bevill, according to police records. Bevill was shot during an argument with Cunigan, in which he allegedly grabbed the woman by the neck and threatened her with a knife.
Clapper was arrested without incident at a residence some four or five miles from where the shooting took place.
Clapper is also charged with first-degree assault and two counts of armed criminal action in connection with two shots fired at Kendrick Long, 23, of Rogers, Ark., who arrived at the scene with Bevill. Long was shot in the arm.
News, Pages 5 on 08/30/2012