‘Crossbow killer’ faces threatening charge
Posted on Thursday, January 25, 2007
One of the state's most publicized juvenile killers is facing a terroristic threatening charge, accused of threatening to stick a gun in his girlfriend's mouth in late December while she slept and kill her because she would not go with him to California.
An arrest warrant has been issued by the Fourth Judicial District Prosecutor's Office in Washington County against Justin Wade Trammell, 22, of 2918 N. Gregg St., No. 4, in Fayetteville after his girlfriend reported the incident on Jan. 10 to the Fayetteville Police Department.
Trammell is known as the 15-year-old who on Sept. 26, 1999, killed his father, Mike Trammell Sr., 37, with a crossbow. He pleaded guilty in June 2000 in Benton County Circuit Court to first-degree murder. He also tried to kill his mother with a knife.
Trammell had been living in Fayetteville with his girlfriend and Mitchell Johnson, 22, who was convicted in the 1998 attack on Westside Middle School in Jonesboro that left four students and one teacher dead. Johnson, then 13, was the elder of the two juveniles convicted in the Westside attack.
Johnson and Trammell are also facing misdemeanor charges in connection with a stop by law enforcement early New Year's Day.
The warrant on the terroristic threatening charge was filed Monday in Washington County Circuit Court.
Trammell's girlfriend, not listed by name in the warrant, told police that Trammell and another person had moved in with her two weeks before she reported the threat, according to the arrest affidavit filed by Fayetteville Police Detective David Williams.
The date of the alleged offense was Dec. 29, according to the criminal information.
Williams later identified the other person living with the woman as Johnson and said that Trammell and Johnson are no longer living at that apartment.
The girlfriend, identified by Williams as Chelsea Jabusch, and Trammell have a 3-year-old son together and had talked about moving to California, according to the arrest affidavit.
A few days later, she told police, she found a loaded gun and a brick of marijuana in the home. She and Trammell began to argue, and she told him she no longer wanted to move to California with him because she did not want to expose her child to his behavior, according to the affidavit. Trammell reportedly responded he would stick a gun in her mouth and blow her head off while she was sleeping, as well as take their child.
The victim reportedly left the home and had a cell phone conversation with Trammell. She talked to him about signing away his parental rights, and he said she would be dead before that happened, according to the affidavit. She asked if he was threatening her, and he replied she knew exactly what he meant, the affidavit continued. Terroristic threatening is a Class D felony punishable by up to six years and / or a fine of up to $ 10, 000. The prosecutor is recommending the bond be set in the amount of $ 25, 000 and that Trammell have no contact with Jabusch. John Threet, prosecuting attorney for the Fourth Judicial District in Washington County, said Trammell's juvenile record cannot be used to enhance a sentence if he is convicted in circuit court.
Living arrangements Trammell and Jabusch were living in a unit in Appleby Apartments, which is operated by Lindsey Management Co. According to a notice signed by Chief Executive Officer James Lindsey, the apartment where Jabusch lived was leased on Feb. 15, 2006, to Justin Trammell and Cory Trammell. A criminal background report indicated there were no criminal arrests or convictions for either resident. Management was unaware of Trammell's criminal history, the notice stated. In November, management reportedly noticed Johnson hanging around the property and in or near Trammell's apartment. Trammell was given a warning for having an unauthorized occupant, and Johnson was banned from the property. Johnson was found near Trammell's apartment again on Jan. 6, and Trammell was immediately asked to vacate the apartment, the notice stated.
Recent run-in Johnson and Trammell had a run-in with local law enforcement on New Year's Day. The two men have an arraignment in Fayetteville District Court set for Friday on misdemeanor charges stemming from the stop. Trammell reportedly was driving erratically on Gregg Street, according to Washington County Deputy Jak Kimball, who said the deputy smelled marijuana when he approached the vehicle. The men were interviewed before Trammell received a traffic citation alleging reckless driving. Johnson faces two misdemeanor charges of possession of marijuana and carrying a weapon. Washington County Sheriff's Deputy Steven Hulsey reportedly found a bag of marijuana, about 20 grams, in Johnson's pocket. Johnson reportedly admitted he had a gun. Deputies reported finding a loaded 9 mm semi-automatic pistol in the back of the Chevrolet van, which Johnson said belonged to him. Johnson was arrested and transported to the Washington County Jail, but he was released hours later on a $ 1, 000 bond.
Trammell's sentencing For killing his father, Trammell was sentenced under juvenile sentencing laws adopted by state lawmakers in response to the cases of Johnson and Andrew Golden, the other shooter in the Jonesboro shootings in 1998. All three served in the state's juvenile detention system. Trammell was the first juvenile in the state to be tried under the new law. In 2000, he was sentenced to the Mansfield Unit of the state's Division of Youth Services until his 18 th birthday. Under the new law, his case was reviewed six months before his birthday to decide if he should be sentenced as an adult and serve up to 40 years in the Arkansas Department of Correction. A Benton County circuit judge released Trammell in 2002 on three years' juvenile probation despite protests by prosecutors.
Past arrests In September 2004, Trammell and Jabusch were arrested for domestic battery. A Benton County judge ordered that Trammell, 20 at the time, should not have any contact with Jabusch. Trammell had been arrested in June 2004 by Fayetteville police for public intoxication and possession of a fraudulent driver's license while trying to enter a bar. At a probation revocation hearing in September of that year, after the domestic battery arrest, Finch ordered Trammell to live with his brother in Cave Springs and told Trammell he could leave for work, school or job hunting.
Trammell had worked for the Benton County Public Defender's Office earlier that year, but he resigned after his June arrest.
In November 2004, Benton County Circuit Judge Xollie Duncan ordered Trammell to jail after finding him in contempt of court for willfully failing to pay money to support his son. At that time, Jabusch's lawyer said it was not her client's desire for Trammell to be sent to jail.
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