Deputy's Deadly Force Justified
Prosecutor Clears Deputy in Deadly Force After Fatal Stabbings at Rural Residence
Key Points
The deputy who fired Poole was unnamed in the release; prosecutor Jeff Phillips stated the deputy acted to protect himself and fellow officers from Poole using the gun he was trying to get ahold of: "the deputy ... was justified in shooting Poole because the deputy had good reason to think he was protecting himself and fellow officers from Poole using the gun he was trying to get ahold of."
The two stabbing victims were Roy Murphy, 62, and Jody Grinder, 55, identified in the prosecutor’s release, underscoring the grisly scope of the incident.
911 dispatch records indicate the female victim’s last words were, "He's killing me," providing critical context for the timeline of events before officers arrived at the scene.
The incident occurred at a rural residence on Cat Holler Road, north and slightly east of Ozark, a remote location described as reachable primarily by four-wheel-drive vehicle.
During an hour-long standoff, deputies deployed tear gas before SWAT entered the home, indicating an escalated response prior to the confrontation on the roof and subsequent shooting.
A Franklin County, Arkansas, deputy who shot and killed Patrick Poole on May 15, 2026, was justified in using deadly force, the Fifth Judicial District prosecutor has ruled. 4029tv.com reported that Poole had tried to grab a deputy's gun during a chaotic standoff at a rural Cat Holler Road residence north of Ozark.
The ruling came after the Arkansas State Police Criminal Investigation Division reviewed the case at the Franklin County Sheriff's Office's request. Prosecutor Jeff Phillips said the deputy "had good reason to think he was protecting himself and fellow officers from Poole using the gun he was trying to get ahold of," according to Arkansas Online.
A Double Homicide That Triggered the Deadly Standoff
Deputies first responded to Cat Holler Road after a 911 call about a stabbing. The female caller's last words on the line were, "He's killing me." When officers arrived, they found Roy Murphy, 62, and Jody Grinder, 55, both fatally stabbed inside the home, according to NWA Online.
Poole fled into the residence as deputies arrived. The scene was described as gruesome. Officers quickly realized they were dealing with a suspect who had already killed twice and was unwilling to surrender.
Hour-Long Standoff Escalates to Rooftop Confrontation
Deputies spent roughly an hour trying to end the standoff peacefully. They deployed tear gas before SWAT teams entered the home. Poole eventually appeared on the roof of the residence, armed with a knife, according to 4029tv.com.
Poole later re-entered the home. When deputies tried to take him into custody, he resisted and attempted to grab a deputy's firearm. That moment — Poole reaching for the gun — is what prosecutors identified as the turning point that justified the fatal shots.
Prosecutor: Deputy Faced Imminent, Life-Threatening Danger
Prosecutor Jeff Phillips laid out the legal reasoning clearly. A suspect grabbing an officer's weapon creates an imminent threat of death or serious injury to that officer and anyone nearby. Phillips concluded the deputy acted reasonably given the circumstances, per NWA Online.
The Arkansas State Police Criminal Investigation Division handled the independent review. That step — asking an outside agency to investigate — is standard practice when a deputy or officer uses deadly force. The Fifth Judicial District prosecutor then issued the final ruling based on that review.
Remote Location Added Complexity to the Emergency Response
Cat Holler Road sits north and slightly east of Ozark in a rural part of Franklin County. The area is so remote that the road is described as reachable primarily by four-wheel-drive vehicle. That isolation made a fast, large-scale response harder to coordinate, according to 4029tv.com.
Despite those challenges, SWAT teams and Arkansas State Police troopers eventually arrived on scene. Their presence marked a significant escalation of the response. Poole's final act of resistance — trying to disarm a deputy — came as that larger force was moving in.
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