Arkansas – Special Agents with the Arkansas State Police Criminal Investigation Division arrested five inmates in connection with the death of 44-year-old Terry Craig of Clarendon following an incident inside the Monroe County Detention Center.
On Tuesday, August 12, 2025, investigators served arrest warrants on Gregory Otis, 38; Typaris Johnson, 26; Antonio Aldridge, 31; Reko Branscomb, 28; and Carmello Hawkins, 18. Each inmate was charged with first-degree murder, first-degree battery, and engaging in violent criminal group activity. Authorities confirmed that the men remain in custody on $3 million bond each, with their first court appearance scheduled for Tuesday, August 19, 2025.
The charges were the result of an investigation into an incident that occurred on August 8, 2025. That evening, detention staff discovered Craig injured inside his cell not long after he had been booked into the jail on charges of possession of child sexual abuse materials and possession of a firearm by certain persons.
Craig was taken to Baptist Health Medical Center in Stuttgart, where he was pronounced dead just before 10 p.m. The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office then requested assistance from the state police criminal investigation division to further examine the case.
Following Craig’s death, his body was sent to the Arkansas State Crime Lab to determine the exact cause and manner of death. Investigators have not yet released additional details about how Craig sustained his injuries or what led to the fatal incident inside the facility.