A Jonesboro woman is to be sentenced today for her part in the shooting death of her husband. The Sun newspaper reports that Michelle Despain plead guilty August eighth to three counts of hindering apprehension in the August 24th, 2011 death of Marc Despain. Despain was murdered in his home. Michelle Despain was originally charged with capital murder in the case. Prosecutors say they are recommending a 30-year prison sentence. Michelle Despain’s father, Carl Kelley, and Terrance Baker have previously plead guilty to first-degree murder in the case and are serving 35 year sentences in prison. Another suspect, Johnny Hubbard, previously pleaded guilty to hindering apprehension and his probation in an unrelated drug case was revoked. The Sun reports Michelle Despain was originally accused of participating in a plot to kill her husband, but she is accused of lying to police about the other suspects. Despain will be sentenced at 10:30 this morning by Craighead County Circuit Judge Victor Hill.
Johnathan Reaves is the News Director for KASU Public Radio. As part of an Air Force Family, he moved to Arkansas from Minot, North Dakota in 1986. He was first bitten by the radio bug after he graduated from Gosnell High School in 1992. While working on his undergraduate degree, he worked at KOSE, a small 1,000 watt AM commercial station in Osceola, Arkansas. Upon graduation from Arkansas State University in 1996 with a degree in Radio-Television Broadcast News, he decided that he wanted to stay in radio news. He moved to Stuttgart, Arkansas and worked for East Arkansas Broadcasters as news director and was there for 16 years.