TEXARKANA, Ark.–A judge in Miller County, Arkansas has refused to reduce the $500,000 bond set last year for a man accused of causing fatal injuries to a 2-month-old Texarkana boy and destroying related evidence after the crime.
Jeffrey Allen McPherson, 39, is accused in the May 25, 2022, death of little Carter Hamilton. McPherson was allegedly the primary caregiver for the child while the baby’s mother was in the Bowie County jail, according to a probable cause affidavit.
McPherson appeared last week for a hearing to address a motion filed by his lawyer, Brent Miller of Hot Springs, seeking to lower his bond from $500,000, court records show. The request was opposed by Prosecuting Attorney Connie Mitchell and ultimately denied by Circuit Judge Brent Haltom.
McPherson remains in the Miller County jail where he has been since his arrest May 31 on charges of first-degree murder and tampering with evidence by the Texarkana Arkansas Police Department.
Police were called to a local hospital after efforts to revive the baby there were unsuccessful. McPherson allegedly told officers the baby had bowel problems and that earlier in the day he had been performing “bicycle” movements with the infant to help him, according to a probable cause affidavit. McPherson allegedly told the investigators that while moving the baby’s legs, he heard a “pop” sound come from the child’s chest and that he left the infant alone for about 30 minutes before returning and finding that Carter was discolored and unresponsive.
An autopsy revealed that the baby died of blunt force trauma to his chest. While investigators were searching McPherson’s home in the 200 block of Senator Street in Texarkana, Arkansas, they noticed interior cameras which appeared to be actively recording. Footage from the time period during which the baby likely became injured was allegedly missing, leading to the evidence tampering charge.
If convicted of tampering with evidence, McPherson faces up to six years in prison and a fine up to $10,000. If found guilty of murder in the infant’s death, McPherson faces 10 to 40 years or life in an Arkansas prison.
