Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Nevada County couple attacked; one is dead

An attack on a Nevada County couple early Saturday morning left an elderly man dead and sent his wife to a hospital in Hope.

Samuel Brooks, 77, was dead at the couples home at 1360 Nevada County Road 23, about a quarter-mile south of Prescott on Cale Road. His wife, Murlean Brooks, 73, was able to leave the scene and flagged down passing motorists for help.

One of those passing was Todd Avery. He said he saw Murlean Brooks SUV on Cale Road about 5:45 a.m. He said her emergency flashers were on and a second motorist told Avery that the woman in the vehicle needed assistance.

She said her husband had been murdered and she had been shot, Avery said.

He said his first instinct was that the woman must be delirious, but when he turned on an interior light in

the vehicle he discovered that Brooks was covered in blood.

The second motorist called for help but Avery said he went to Prescott Police Chief Brian Russells home which is a short distance from the murder scene and alerted Russell to the situation.

Russell confirmed the statement in published reports. According to those published reports, he said he

contacted Prescott Police Officer Kevin Colvey, who was the first officer on the scene Saturday morning.

Samuel Brooks, a retired truck driver, and his wife, who is also retired, resided in a grey brick home, located a short distance outside the Prescott city limits. There is one neighbor directly across the road but the house is at least somewhat secluded.

Officers from the Prescott Police Department, including Russell and several additional officers, were on the scene and have continued to work on the investigation, though the State Police have taken the lead.

Were referring everybody to the Arkansas State Police, Russell said Monday.

ASP Investigaor John Bishop confirmed Monday that the couple had possibly been shot by an intruder.

They were assaulted in their home, and she was able to leave after a period of time to get help, Bishop

said. She drove down the road until she was able to seek help.

Bishop said, at this point, lawmen are not seeking a specific person of interest since the investigation has yet to determine a motive for the shootings.

The one is dead and she wasnt able to tell us anything; were still investigating, he said.

Nevada County Coroner William Mullins confirmed that he pronounced Samuel Brooks dead at the scene about 6:50 a.m. Saturday, and that Mrs. Brooks was taken to

Medical Park Hospital in Hope.

The Associated Press reported Monday that investigators believe the shooting occurred sometime between midnight Friday and 6 a.m. Saturday.

The AP reported Monday that Mrs. Brooks remained at MPH in stable condition Monday morning, but that was not confirmed by the hospital. However, Nevada County

Ambulance confirmed that one victim of a shooting in Prescott had been transported from Prescott to MPH.

Mullins said that Samuel Brooks? body has been sent to the Arkansas Crime Laboratory for autopsy, but he was uncertain when cause of death findings might be returned.

Bishop confirmed that both victims were shot more than once.

Nevada County Sheriff Steve Otwell was at the scene Saturday morning, along with several Nevada County deputies. At the scene, Otwell declined comment.

However, in a statement published Sunday, Otwell warned residents of the Cale Road area to secure their residences, and to contact the county sheriffs department with any information about suspicious activity on the day of the murder.

Residents are being asked to call the Nevada County Sheriffs Department at 887-2616, ASP at 777-8944, or the Prescott Police Department at 887-6779.