STUTTGART, Ark. – 23-year-old Joe Minter Jr. pled guilty to several charges, including capital murder, at the Stuttgart Courthouse on Monday, Oct. 5.
The murder trial ended with one family's heart broken. Laura Collins said it's a familiar feeling— after her nephew was shot and killed in 2022.
"He was loving, and he was good,” Collins said.
Dalton Smith was 27 years old when police found him dead in an alleyway on Grand Street.
And after seeing Joe Minter Jr. plead guilty and face 37 years in prison, Collins said the justice served didn't heal the pain.
"When I looked him in the eyes, it hurt me so bad because he's a baby,” Collins said, “My heart hurts so bad for his family. And at this point, I'm praying harder for his family than I am even for my own."
Minter also pled guilty to f