Murder Witness Kidnapped, Thrown Off Bridge, Police Say

An Arkansas woman was kidnapped and thrown off a bridge after witnessing a murder on Christmas Day, police said. The unidentified 42-year-old woman told police she was hurled off Interstate 430 and into the Arkansas River that morning, according to KARK-TV.

The woman in question reportedly witnessed two men enter the home she was in and shoot the other two men. She was the girlfriend of one of the shooting victims and was kidnapped from the home afterward and tossed into the river, NBC News reported. She was found to be missing when police arrived at the shooting scene and a statewide alert was issued.

The woman managed to survive being thrown in the river by swimming to the shore and yelling for help, according to KARK. Little Rock Police were deployed to the scene and she was taken to a nearby hospital and treated for hypothermia.

One of the men who was shot survived with serious injuries. The other, 49-year-old Arlin Wayne Nugent, died before police arrived at the scene.

By Friday morning both suspects had been identified by police. Richard Gilliam, 33, faced charges of capital murder, kidnapping, attempt to commit capital murder and aggravated residential burglary, KARK reported. Prosecutors were said to be seeking the death penalty in the case. Twenty-eight-year-old Deymon Webb, the second suspect, turned himself in to police Wednesday, according to NBC News.

A motive for the shooting had not yet been determined, though Lonoke County Sheriff’s Office Capt. David Bufford said one of the shooting victims was acquaintances with the suspects.