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Arkansas man charged with the murder of his fiancé after lengthy investigation

Photo courtesy of the Jonesboro Police Department

JONESBORO, Ark. (KTVE/KARD) — On November 21, 2021, the Jonesboro Police Department responded to an unresponsive person on the 2200 block of Clover Drive. Upon arrival, officers discovered Sabrina Benson lying on the floor of the hallway.

Benson was transported to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead. Officers were able to speak with Benson’s fiancé, Shadrack Ward, at the scene of the incident. According to Ward, he and Benson had a couple of friends over and were drinking earlier that day.


Ward mentioned that everyone left and he heard Benson call his name. According to Ward, he found Benson on the floor unconscious when he went to check on her.

Benson’s body was sent to the State Crime Lab for an autopsy and the results discovered that she died due to strangulation. Investigators interviewed Ward again and he revealed that he and Benson were in a verbal altercation.

During the altercation, Ward allegedly grabbed Benson’s neck and held her until she was unconscious, which resulted in her death. Ward was placed under arrest and was transported to the Craighead County Detention Center. He was placed on a $5,000,000 cash surety bond.