Photo: Justin Lee Thompson
A Gassville man accused of shooting his long time, live-in girlfriend in the chest is now scheduled to go to trial in Baxter County Circuit Court in mid-November on charges stemming from the incident.
Twenty-eight-year-old Justin Lee Thompson is charged with attempting to commit first-degree murder, possession of a firearm by a felon, tampering with physical evidence and endangering the welfare of a minor. At the time of the shooting in late April, Thompson was on probation in a drug-related case.
According to the probable cause affidavit, a Gassville police officer responded to a residence along Tallwood Lane where a person was reported to have been shot. The victim, identified as 28-year-old Sandra Orms, had been in a relationship with Thompson for about 10 years.
The Gassville officer reported different and conflicting versions of the incident were initially given to him, including statements the victim had shot herself and a number of stories about who actually owned the weapon used.
During his interview, Thompson admitted he had hidden the weapon, which he said belonged to his mother. He took the Gassville officer to a pile of rubbish about 30 feet away from the residence where the gun was found. Thompson told the officer he had hidden the gun because he was “scared” to have it around, because he was on probation from an earlier drug conviction.
When the victim was able to speak to investigators following surgery, she was said to have been adamant Thompson is the one who shot her. She said he had pulled the gun out of his back pocket and — whether by accident or design — had pulled the trigger.
According to court records, the couple has two sons together. At the time of the shooting, the older son told investigators from the Arkansas Department of Human Services he heard a shot, ran outside and saw “daddy” holding a gun. The victim had made an earlier statement in which she alleged fights between the couple had turned physical and Thompson had beaten her up at times.
The shooting was alleged to have happened during a shoving match between Thompson and Orms.
At one point, Orms had filed for an order of protection to keep Thompson away from her, but it was dropped due to lack of prosecution, shortly before the shooting.
Thompson is an inmate in the North Central Unit of the state prison system at Calico Rock. He went to prison, after his probation on the earlier drug charge was revoked. Orms also has a drug arrest on her record.
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