Rick Headley of Mountain Home, who is accused of stabbing his estranged wife to death at the Dollar General Store on State Highway 5 South March 13th, appeared in Baxter County Circuit Court Thursday and formally entered a not guilty plea to the charges against him.
Headley’s request to be represented by a Public Defender was approved by the court.
While it has not yet been officially announced whether the state will seek the death penalty in the case, Circuit Judge David Laser of Jonesboro — substituting for Judge Gordon Webb who is presiding over a lengthy murder trial in Harrison — said the Public Defender Commission will appoint lawyers qualified to handle death penalty cases.
Headley is charged with capital murder, false imprisonment, terroristic threatening, aggravated assault, violation of a protective order and criminal trespass.
According to the probable cause affidavit in the case, Mountain Home police officers responded to a report of a stabbing at the retail store about 10 p.m., March 13th. When officers entered the store, they reported finding 38-year-old Kirstie Headley, an employee of the store lying on the floor. She is the estranged wife of Rick Headley.
Rick Headley is reported to have entered the store, grabbed his estranged wife by the shirt and dragged her outside. Witnesses told officers they saw him with a knife in his right hand and saw him stab Kirstie Headley several times.
Video surveillance cameras at the store captured scenes of Kirstie Headley walk back into the store holding her chest. They reported she was covered in blood. Emergency medical personnel arrived and transported the victim to Baxter Regional Medical Center where she died a short time later.
Headley had fled the scene before officers arrived. He was captured a few hours later and is reported to have told the arresting officers he went to his wife’s place of employment with the intent of killing her.
According to electronic court records, Kirstie Headley has filed two affidavits seeking orders of protection to keep Rick Headley away from her. In both, she mentions being threatened with a knife and in one reported Rick Headley actually stabbed her in the hip. In the affidavits, Kirstie Headley said her husband had become more obsessive and controlling during their relationship.
Court records also indicate a temporary guardianship for the minor daughter of the Headley couple was approved in the Probate Division of Baxter County Circuit Court March 19th. A hearing on the matter is now set for March 29th.
The maternal aunt and uncle of the child, who list a Mountain Home address, are the parties seeking guardianship of the minor child.
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