The Arkansas Court of Appeals on Wednesday rejected the appeal of a Pine Bluff man sentenced to prison for abuse of a corpse.
Derek Payne, 44, was originally charged with first-degree murder and abuse of a corpse in the death of Christopher Jones in 2019.
Following a jury trial, Payne was found not guilty of murder but convicted of abuse of a corpse and sentenced to 30 years in prison.
In his appeal, Payne argued that the only evidence prosecutors presented on the charge of abuse of a corpse was that he was present at the house on the night of a fire, that there was accelerant in the bedroom where Jones died, and that he left the house after the fire broke out.
However, the Appeals Court disagreed, saying that there was conflicting evidence presented to the jury about how Jones died, including prosecutors’ contention that he was stabbed to death and the fire was set to cover up the murder.
In addition, Payne left the scene which is evidence of consciousness of guilt and can corroborate evidence tending to establish guilt.
Payne is serving his sentence at the Varner Unit of the Department of Corrections and will be eligible to apply for parole in 2029.
