Man accused of killing Arkansas sisters with hammer pleads innocent

The man accused of murdering two sisters at their home in Danville killed them with a hammer after he and one of them argued about a bill he owed, according to newly filed court documents.

Mark Watts, 45, pleaded innocent Thursday to two counts of first-degree murder and one count of forgery in the July 2 deaths of Phyllis Chambers, 55, and her sister, Martha Jane Veazey, 63. The women, who lived together, were found slain at Chambers' home just outside city limits.

Watts remained jailed Monday in Yell County in lieu of $2 million bond.

Also Thursday, a judge appointed John Irwin to represent Watts.

According to an affidavit signed by Danville Police Chief Rick Padgett, Watts first told authorities that he found the bodies after going to Chambers' home to help her move some property from her truck. Watts told police he had blood on his hands from checking Chambers' pulse, Padgett wrote.

But during a video-recorded interview July 25, Watts confessed to the killings, Padgett wrote.

After arriving at the house late that afternoon, he got into an argument with Chambers about money he owed her, according to the affidavit. Padgett later said in a telephone interview that he thought the debt was for $1,700.

"Watts stated he grabbed a shop hammer located in the living room and struck Chambers in the head," Padgett wrote. "Watts immediately walked into the bedroom where Veazey was located and struck Veazey in the head."

Watts then took the hammer to a pond along Arkansas 10 where he threw it into the water, Padgett wrote.

"We're still looking for the weapon," Padgett said in an interview. Divers have been looking for it, and police are considering other options, including draining the pond that covers about 2 acres, the chief said.

According to the forgery affidavit, also signed by Padgett, a police sergeant who was helping investigate the killings found a $2,500 check written to Watts and signed "Shawn Roddy" in printed letters. The check, dated June 5 and numbered 0815, was on the account of Roddy Farms, Shawn or Lavonne Roddy, Belleville. The check indicated it was for a "House in Belleville," according to the affidavit, filed Wednesday in Yell County Circuit Court.

Padgett said Shawn Roddy told him, though, that he had not seen Watts in about a decade. "He stated at no time did he write or authorize a check to be written to Mark Watts," Padgett wrote. "Roddy also stated Watts has never worked for him."

Padgett said later that authorities are "pretty certain" Watts had given the check to Chambers but they weren't sure what it was for since Watts had not endorsed it.

Roddy said someone could have gotten a check from his truck. After researching their account records, Roddy and his mother, Lavonne, also could not determine where a separate check, number 0814, was.

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Roddy said his mother had given him six checks to use for farm purchases and that they were written between March 28 and June 27, the affidavit said.

State Desk on 08/08/2017

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