Ark. man sentenced to life in prison plus 22 years for shooting and dismembering ex, throwing her remains in a lake Wikibious

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (TCN) — A 33-year-old man has been found guilty of capital murder, abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and theft of property in connection with the death of his ex-girlfriend in 2022. He was sentenced to life in prison plus 22 years.

On Sept. 19, 2022, police found Kacey Kawika Jennings overdosing in a home. While there, responding officers reportedly found evidence that Jennings had killed his ex-girlfriend, 28-year-old Allison Castro, and then disposed of her body. Castro’s family had reported her missing that day when they were unable to reach her. A week later, Jennings was arrested in connection with her death after being released from a medical facility.

The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that on June 22, Jennings was found guilty of capital murder, abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and theft of property. On June 23, Jennings was sentenced to life in prison plus 22 years and $30,000 in fines, KFSM reports.

According to prosecutors, Jennings shot Castro with a shotgun in August 2022 and then dismembered her body and disposed of it in a lake. They argued that he disposed of the gun in the lake as well. Jennings then sold Castro’s belongings, used her credit card to make purchases, and sent messages from her phone.

Jennings’ defense argued that Castro’s death was an accident and that they were contesting the murder charge but not the other charges, per the Democrat-Gazette. They said prosecutors were focusing on what happened after Castro’s death and Jennings was not guilty of premeditation.

According to the outlet, jurors were shown pages from Jennings’ journal in which he said he walked in on Castro about to commit suicide; he wrote that in trying to take the gun from her, she shot herself in the chest. He wrote that he stayed with the body for two days, talking to it, and then dismembered it.

According to the Democrat-Gazette, Jennings gave inconsistent statements regarding how the shooting occurred. KHBS reports that in videos recorded on his phone after the death of Castro, Jennings stated that he accidentally shot Castro in the chest while he was trying to commit suicide. He was then seen on camera taking an unknown pill and showing other pills, including morphine, and a syringe.

Per KSFM, only parts of Castro’s legs have been recovered. Because no other remains were found, they were unable to be examined. According to the Democrat-Gazette, Jennings reportedly described seeing a gaping hole in Castro’s chest, but a medical examiner testified that if she had been shot at as close range as Jennings had told police, the hole would have been much smaller.

In her closing remarks to jurors, deputy prosecuting attorney Courtney Cassidy said, “He wanted to control her and she wouldn’t let him. He made a decision that if he couldn’t have Allison, nobody else could,” the Democrat-Gazette reports.