LITTLE ROCK — Authorities on Tuesday were trying to determine whether evidence supports a Nashville man's account that he accidentally shot his girlfriend in the back with a rifle or if the killing was premeditated.
Daniel Mark Gardner, 42, who worked briefly in 1996 as a police officer, was being held in the Howard County jail after police said he killed Marie Cogburn, 34, just before midnight Saturday.
The pair had quarreled that evening over whether Cogburn was seeing another man, but Gardner said he didn't mean to shoot her, prosecutor Bryan Chesshir said Tuesday.
Gardner told authorities that he was putting away a rifle, one of the many guns in the Lockesburg Street home, when Cogburn said something hurtful, Chesshir said. That's when he somehow fired onher at point-blank range, the prosecutor said.
Police arrived to find Cogburn dead and with a single bullet wound in her back. Her body had been picked up from the spot where she was shot and put in Gardner's bed. Gardner, who does not have a home phone, reportedly went to his mother's house to call the police. He was sitting on his front porch when officers arrived.
Nashville detective Larry Marion said he wasn't aware of any previous violent altercations between the pair. He declined to elaborate on personal details of either Gardner or Cogburn, saying the investigation was ongoing.
"Once the prosecutor determines what charges, we'll be glad to put out another statement stating more of the facts of the case," he said.
Chesshir said he is waiting to review more evidence before deciding whether he will charge Gardner with first- or second-degree murder. If there is evidence that the killing was planned or a result of other violent acts, he said he will seek the more serious charge.
Gardner worked for three months in 1996 as an officer with the Murfreesboro Police Department. A note written by a supervisor said he resigned because of low pay and because he "could not handle being in the public eye," said Chief Mark Barnes, who reviewed the personnel file.
Gardner's bail was set at $200,000. He is expected to appear before a judge today.
Arkansas, Pages 17 on 01/14/2009