A local man found deceased inside his apartment Tuesday morning was allegedly beaten to death with a baseball bat a couple of hours before the man accused of killing him called to report it, according to an affidavit released Wednesday.
Terry Eugene Hughes, 55, who lists a Couchwood Street address, was taken into custody shortly after 10:30 a.m. Tuesday and charged with first-degree murder, punishable by up to life in prison, for the death of Joshua David Buck, 43, inside the victim's residence at 307 Oakcliff St., Apt. B.
Hughes, who lists no prior felony history, was being held on zero bond and was set to appear Wednesday afternoon in Garland County District.
According to the probable cause affidavit, around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Hughes called the Hot Springs police 911 dispatch center and stated there was a dead body at the apartment he was at on Oakcliff Street, but he didn't know the exact address.
Dispatchers were able to determine Hughes was calling from 207 Oakcliff, the apartment upstairs, and officers responded to the location. Before officers got there, Hughes allegedly told the dispatcher he knew the victim was dead because he had hit him in the head with a baseball bat.
When officers arrived, Hughes, who was still on the phone with 911, told them he had hit "Joshua" in the head with the bat and "kept hitting him with it."
Buck was located in his bedroom facedown on the floor on his knees with obvious trauma to the back of his head and no signs of life. Garland County Coroner Stuart Smedley arrived a short time later and noted it appeared Buck had been deceased for a couple of hours prior to Hughes calling 911.
Detectives executed a search warrant on the residence and located a bloody bat in Buck's bedroom and noted there was a large amount of blood spatter and "cast off" all over the walls and floor of the room.
The spatter types and the amount of blood in various locations indicated there were "numerous blows to the head while the victim was on the floor," the affidavit states.
Suspected blood was also seen on Hughes' socks and pants at the time of his arrest.
Local on 04/16/2020