Mikayla Jordan Mynk of Gassville, one of the three people charged in the death of an elderly Midway couple in early November last year, entered a guilty plea to reduced charges including aggravated residential burglary and theft by receiving and was sentenced to 20 years in the Arkansas Department of Correction to be followed by 15 years probation by Baxter County Circuit Court Judge Gordon Webb Tuesday.
She had initially been facing more serious charges including two counts of capital murder and arson. At the outset, the state had indicated that if the case went to trial, it would seek the death penalty.
As Judge Webb read from the plea agreement, it became apparent that Mynk had played a much less active role in the event than had her two male companions. The language of the plea agreement indicates that Mynk dropped Nicholas Roos and Zach Grayham off in the vicinity of the Rice home and then left the scene to attend a funeral. Mynk agreed that she knew there was a plan to commit a residential burglary, but told the court she had no knowledge that the two males had any intention of killing the Rice couple.
Mynk appeared in court without the black-and-white uniform normally worn by inmates in the Baxter County jail. One of the motions filed by Mynk’s attorneys early in the case asked that she be dressed in civilian clothing during court session and that she not be in restraints.
Twice during the reading of the plea agreement, Judge Webb asked Mynk if she had anything to say and she replied in the negative.
Roos who was also charged with being involved in the murder of Donald and LaDonna Rice and the burning of their home on County Road 508, entered a guilty plea to charges against him in late May and was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Roos is now attempting to back out of that plea and has filed a number of motions with the court related to that effort.
After a false start, Roos has now asked that a lawyer be appointed for him and will proceed with what is known as a Rule 37 petition in his effort to obtain post-conviction relief.
Roos is currently being held in the Varner Unit of the state prison system.
A fire at the Rices spacious home was initially reported when a motorist flagged down an Arkansas Sate Trooper just after 7:30 pm. November 7th. The structure was fully engulfed when fire crews arrived. The trooper, Jackie Stinnett, said when he approached the house, there were flames coming from the left dormer on the roof. As the trooper made his way around the house, there was a dog in the yard and the back door to the residence was standing open. Stinnett was unable to enter the residence because of the intense heat and heavy smoke.
After the fire at the home was extinguished and the rubble cooled sufficiently, law officers from a large number of agencies – including specialized arson investigators from the Arkansas State Police, picked through the massive amount of debris at the home with assistance from heavy equipment provided by the County Road and Bridge Department.
In addition to the fire that destroyed the home, a 2015 GMC Sierra Denali pickup truck belonging to the couple was found burned near Bruce Creek off of County Road 1 November 8th. Investigators believed that the three people alleged to be involved in the crime — Zach Grayham, Mynk and Roos, who are all in their 20s, used the truck to remove stolen items from the Rice home.
Investigators believe that the three suspects arrived at the residence on the morning of November 7th, killed the Rice couple and then stole various items of personal property, including a large screen TV, from the residence before setting fire to the dwelling.
All three of those initially suspected as being involved in killing the Rice couple, who were both in their 70s and had just celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary, were picked up and jailed just a few days after the double murder and arson happened.
Roos and Mynk were both arrested November 11th and Grayham was picked up two days later.
During the investigation, officers executed a search warrant at a home occupied by Mynk and discovered property identified as having come from the Rice home.
In seeking to have his guilty plea set aside, Roos is claiming that his two appointed attorneys did not do an adequate job representing him and that the guilty plea he entered on May 24th was coerced.
Roos contends in his filings seeking post-conviction relief that he suffers from several paranoid schizophrenia that causes auditory and visual hallucinations.
Roos claims his right to due process was violated by the failure of his attorneys to request a competency hearing given his history of mental problems, delusions, hunger strikes and suicide attempts. Roos claims to have made two attempts to kill himself while in jail.
Grayham was scheduled to appear during a regular session of Circuit Court Thursday, but one of his attorneys filed for a continuance asking the court to delay that appearance. One of the reasons given for the continuance is that the defense is involved in discussions with the state, which generally means that a plea deal could be in the works.
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