Jamal Akram murder of Linda Hatcher

Jamal Akram has a long history of assault, battery, manslaughter and murder in Arkansas. His latest sentence, the third one, is for beating his girlfriend, Linda Hatcher, to death inside their shared home on South Franklin Street in Blytheville, Arkansas, on March 18, 2016.

Blytheville police responded to the residence after receiving a call about a woman “having difficulty breathing.” When officers arrived, they found Hatcher, 57, dead in the laundry room at the back of the house, lying face up. Investigators documented blood and vomit on her face and behind her head, along with defensive-type lacerations on her wrists and hands. Blood appeared throughout the house, and several household items were knocked over and disturbed.

Officers also found a large amount of bloody water in a bathtub. According to police, the scene suggested someone had attempted to clean blood from the kitchen and from the victim.

Akram, then 54, was at the residence when officers arrived. His clothes were wet. He told police he believed someone had broken into the home and beaten Hatcher, and said he had told her to “stay away from the door.” Akram later said he thought he remembered lifting Hatcher out of the bathtub, but claimed he remembered little else.

Police arrested Akram at the scene.

Court Proceedings

Prosecutors charged Akram, also known as Adam Troy Ford, with first-degree murder. At trial, the state presented evidence of the condition of the home and the injuries Hatcher suffered. A Mississippi County jury convicted Akram of first-degree murder in 2017. Circuit Judge Ralph Wilson Jr. sentenced him to 60 years in prison, following the jury’s recommendation. Prosecutors charged Akram as a habitual offender.

At the time of Hatcher’s death, Akram had a prior conviction for manslaughter stemming from a 2005 vehicular death where he was intoxicated.

Background of an alcoholic

Court-ordered mental health evaluations introduced additional background information about Akram. He told evaluators he was born and raised in Blytheville, raised primarily by his mother, and had limited contact with his father. He reported growing up with 16 siblings from five different fathers. His mother died in 2013. He said he had lived in several states, had been married for 18 years, and had one adult child.

Akram told evaluators he described himself as a “womanizer,” said he was involved in multiple extramarital affairs, and stated that Hatcher was his fiancée. He said he planned to divorce his wife before his arrest. He reported that he and Hatcher had been together for about a year and a half, and that he and his wife had an altercation after she discovered his infidelity.

Regarding employment, Akram reported working in construction and as a restaurant cook. He said he was unemployed at the time of the murder after his attorney advised him to quit working and apply for disability. Akram claimed he struggled to remember “food tickets and menus.” He reported alcohol addiction, depression, and said he applied for disability due to memory problems and bipolar disorder, though his application was denied.

Akram detailed a long history of injuries and alcohol-related incidents. He told evaluators he was accidentally struck in the head with an axe by his brother during childhood and hospitalized. At age 49, he was admitted to a hospital with a self-inflicted stab wound to the base of his neck while intoxicated after a fight with a girlfriend. Medical records stated he was combative but stable and had lacerated his external jugular vein, which required surgical repair.

At age 52, Akram was hospitalized after being assaulted with a baseball bat during a fight involving a girlfriend’s son. He was intoxicated during that incident as well. Records also showed multiple prior admissions for facial injuries following drunken fights, including treatment twice in 2013.

Multiple arrests and manslaughter

Akram told evaluators he was arrested as a juvenile for “putting his hands on a woman.” As an adult, he reported numerous arrests and laughed while stating most were related to intoxication. He said, “They said I was drunk,” when discussing the manslaughter conviction that resulted in the death of a 17-year-old male. He reported approximately 10 DUI charges and said his first stop after release from jail was often the liquor store.

His criminal history included charges for fleeing, assault, battery, robbery, burglary, vehicle theft, theft of property, terroristic threatening, forgery, escape, possession of controlled substances, failure to appear, and obstructing government operations, among others.

During the evaluation, Akram claimed to hear voices, including one he identified as “Mr. Mew-hound,” whom he described as his best friend. Evaluators noted he had been admitted to multiple drug rehabilitation centers but was often expelled due to fighting.

The forensic evaluator concluded Akram was deliberately feigning symptoms of mental impairment. The evaluator diagnosed malingering, antisocial personality disorder, and alcohol use disorder, and opined that Akram’s reported hallucinations were more likely related to chronic alcoholism than any other mental illness.

Akram entered the Arkansas prison system on August 29, 2017. He is currently housed at the Tucker Maximum Security Unit. Now 62 years old, his projected release date is March 17, 2058.