Arkansas farmer, 28, accused of murdering a 25-year-old female jogger 'hit her with his truck, raped her and then buried her in a shallow grave' before joining the search party when she was reported missing
An Arkansas farmer arrested for murdering a female jogger is accused of hitting her with his truck, raping her and then burying her body in a shallow grave before joining the search party when she was reported missing.
Quake Lewellyn, 28, was taken into custody over the rape and murder of 25-year-old Sydney Sutherland after her body was found dumped in Newport in rural Arkansas late last month.
Recently filed court documents obtained by Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reveal that Lewellyn told police he plowed down Sutherland with his truck while she was out running on the Jackson County Road 41 South.
He then allegedly admitted to loading Sutherland's body onto his truck and driving her to a deserted field.
Quake Lewellyn, 28, was taken into custody over the rape and murder of 25-year-old Sydney Sutherland after her body was found dumped in Newport in rural Arkansas late last month
Police said Lewellyn then raped Sutherland and buried her body.
He later joined a Facebook page dedicated to searching for Sutherland after she was reported missing.
Sutherland, who worked as a nurse, was last seen alive out jogging on August 19.
She was reported missing after failing to return to the home she shared with her boyfriend Alex Nicholson.
Police found her body two days later following a wide scale search operation using K-9 units and helicopter crews.
They had previously located her iPhone about a quarter-mile from her home.
He was arrested August 21 and is being held without bond at the Randolph County jail. Lewellyn is facing charges of capital murder, rape, kidnapping and abuse of a corpse
This still shared from Ring footage of a family member is believed to be the last picture of Sutherland and was taken just 90 minutes before she went on a run near her home the day she was murdered
Authorities identified Lewellyn as a suspect after using data from his own cellphone that put him in the vicinity of where Sutherland's phone was found.
Lewellyn and Sutherland were known to each other but the nature of their relationship remains unclear.
He was arrested August 21 and is being held without bond at the Randolph County jail.
Lewellyn is facing charges of capital murder, rape, kidnapping and abuse of a corpse.
During his initial court appearance earlier this month, Lewellyn wore a bullet-proof vest and an orange prison jumpsuit as he arrived at the court house.
He is scheduled to be arraigned on October 29.
She was reported missing after failing to return to the home she shared with her boyfriend Alex Nicholson (above together)
Sutherland, who worked as a nurse, was last seen alive out jogging on August 19
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