Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Evaluation filed in Rosston murder case

The psychological evaluation of a Rosston man who has been charged with two counts of murder in Nevada County has been filed, and the examination indicates that the accused has no disease or mental defect.

Kelvin Box, 4523 Highway 371, Rosston, was charged with murder for the shooting deaths of his ex-wife, Tracy Lambert, and her husband, Jerome Lambert, both of Arkadelphia. Box was later charged with sexual assault and sexual indecency with a child.

According to the records file in December with the Nevada County Circuit Clerks office, forensics psychologist Jeremy Hinton performed the evaluation on Box on the order of Ninth Judicial District Circuit Judge Duncan Culpepper. Box was transferred to Little Rock on Dec. 3 for the two-hour exam, according to records.

Hintons report covers an array of topics discussed during his interview with Box. According to that report, Box described his life with his parents, three sisters and two brothers as good. He reportedly told Hinton he is close to his family. The records state that he completed Oak Grove High School with no major discipline incidents and no juvenile arrests.

At the time of the Lambert murders, Box worked as a crew supervisor at SMI Steel in Magnolia, where he had been employed for about nineteen years. According to Boxs statements during the evaluation, he had been arrested for aggravated assault after stabbing a man in self-defense at a party. Court records indicate that Box entered into a plea agreement in 1995, was sentenced to five years probation, and payment of some $2,000.

Though Box indicated to Hinton that he had completed the probation in that case, court records on file in Magnolia indicate that Box had made none of the agreed payments and that he was arrested in January of 2007. The file includes no additional court records regarding that case.

The fact that Box had served time on probation for a felony charge means that he is not allowed to have a firearm in his possession but Boxs testimony to Hinton indicates that he always carried a handgun in his truck.

Hintons report indicates that he and Box talked about the details of the day the Lamberts were shot. Box reportedly said that he had returned home from working the nightshift, went fishing, caught several and cleaned them with the intention of cooking them later.

It was around this time that Tracy Lambert reportedly called Box, according to Hintons report. Lambert alleged that Box had sexually abused a minor child and the two apparently got into a verbal argument that ended with Box hanging up on Lambert. Box states that he then went to his mothers house before deciding to drive to the home of his niece who had maintained a good relationship with Lambert after her divorce from Box. When Box arrived, the Lamberts were already in the driveway, Box reportedly stated.

Boxs statement to Hinton indicates that he stopped to talk to Tracy Lambert but that Jerome Lambert was yelling at Box, threatening bodily harm.

He saw (Tracys) husband reach down for something and he believed that it was a gun, Hintons report states. Mr. Box stated that he pulled a gun out of his truck and started shooting. He stated that he did not remember the actual events of the shooting, but remembered seeing the two dead bodies  He stated that after the shooting everything felt like a dream.

Hintons report indicates that Box also said he remembered hugging both his niece and a minor child who was at the scene, and leaving.

According to court records, Box shot Jerome Lambert several times through an open back door of the Lambert vehicle before pushing Tracy Lambert to the ground and shooting her.

Box then reportedly went to his mothers home where he called his daughters aunt in an attempt to talk to his teenage daughter. Investigator notes indicate that Box threatened the aunt when she refused to allow him to speak to his daughter, resulting in an additional charge of terrorist threatening. According to statements provided by the aunt, Box had said hed killed the Lamberts and threatened that she would be next.

Box reportedly told Hinton that he had spent the night near a lake, where his sister found him the following morning. He stated that he went to his mothers home where he took a shower and ate breakfast before turning himself in, and that he willingly decided to turn himself in.

Box denied the accusations of sexual indecency with a child, saying the child in question was angry at him but that the charges have no foundations, according to Hintons report. He said that he killed Jerome Lambert in self-defense, but was unable to say why he shot Tracy.

No court date has been set. Box has retained a Texarkana attorney to represent him.