Ark. man allegedly killed man with hammer, rocks because he tried to seduce him

SULPHUR ROCK, Ark. (TCD) -- Deputies arrested an 18-year-old man who allegedly killed a 49-year-old man with a hammer and large rocks last month.

According to the arrest affidavit, on Wednesday, May 17, a female called the Independence County Sheriff’s Office, alleging someone was killed, and the victim’s 2009 Nissan Murano was missing. Officials attempted but failed to notify and locate the owner of the vehicle in question.

In the affidavit, the Sheriff’s Office said they learned Matthew Speakman got into an accident in the missing vehicle the previous day.

Deputies responded to the home and discovered a deceased male in a bathtub with the water still running. The victim, identified by KAIT-TV as Jason Anderson, had sustained visible head injuries.

During a search of the home, the affidavit said investigators noticed blood on the shower wall and "bloody shoe prints on the floor of the living area coming from the bathroom area." Officials reportedly recovered a hammer, hammer handle, and three large rocks inside the bathtub.

Later that afternoon, a deputy spoke with Speakman and found a "methamphetamine smoking device with residue" in his possession. When the deputy examined Speakman’s shoes for contraband, the affidavit said they showed a "pattern of the bloody shoe prints found inside the residence of the deceased."

Deputies took Speakman to the Sheriff’s Office for questioning, where he admitted to having a methamphetamine smoking device in his possession, as well as the missing vehicle.

Officials confronted Speakman about the bloody shoe prints, to which he reportedly said, "Y’all need the truth, don’t y’all?" and proceeded to state that the victim was "nude trying to seduce him into sex."

Speakman then found the hammer on a coffee table and allegedly hit Anderson "in the head at least four times and one time with a large set of rocks."

Anderson reportedly "crawled to the bathtub," and Speakman kept beating him.

According to the affidavit, Speakman said he "continued to strike him in fear that he would try to have sex with him anyways." Speakman reportedly didn’t call for help because he was "afraid of jail and being in trouble," and he left the home in Anderson’s vehicle.

Speakman faces charges of first-degree murder, theft of property, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

A judge authorized an arrest warrant for Speakman on Monday, June 5, and ordered him to be held on $1 million bond.

MORE:

• Affidavit of Probable Cause for Arrest — Independence County Sheriff’s Office
• Murder suspect claims victim tried to ‘seduce’ him — KAIT