ASP: Arkansas man charged in connection to death of Independence County woman

ARKANSAS, USA — An Arkansas man has now been formally charged in connection to the December 2024 death of a woman from Independence County.

According to reports, at about 11:00 a.m. on December 8, 2024, police in Festus, Missouri, were called to a White Castle restaurant with reports of an active shooter.

Shortly after police arrived at the scene, 40-year-old Jarrett W. Cousins, who was identified as the suspected shooter, had reportedly left the scene.

He was later stopped by police, and when he exited his vehicle, police say that he fired at them, and they quickly returned fire and struck Cousins.

During a search of his vehicle, police found 45-year-old Cara Blaxton dead and sitting in the passenger seat.

The Jefferson County (Missouri) Sheriff’s Department then requested the help of the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) with Arkansas State Police in investigating the death.

Agents with the CID were able to confirm that Cousins had killed Blaxton while he was in Arkansas, and a medical examiner said that she had been dead for one to two days before the incident at the White Castle.

Mr. Cousins has since been extradited from Missouri and is now in custody at the Ouachita River Correctional Unit in Malvern. His bond has been set at $1 million.