Bail has been set at $500,000 for a 19-year-old man accused of murder in the shooting death of his girlfriend earlier this month.
Texarkana, Arkansas, police officers were dispatched to the 1000 block of Locust Street shortly before noon March 17. There was a report of a 20-year-old female who had been shot.
The victim was identified as Kayla Keatts, 20, of Texarkana, Texas. Officers arrived at the scene along with Life-net emergency medical personnel and the fire department. The victim was transported to a local hospital where she later died of her injuries.
Jason Heath Stewart Jr. turned himself in the following day. He was initially charged with domestic battery but the charges were upgraded to murder after Keatts died.
Bail for Stewart has been set at $500,000, according to court records. He is currently being held in the Miller County jail.
If convicted of murder, Stewart faces 10 to 40 years or life in prison.