Michael L. Ackart murder of Pete Richardson

Michael Lee Ackart caused a traffic crash that killed Pete Richardson, a Lafayette County chief deputy, on March 17, 2014, after grabbing the steering wheel of the vehicle Richardson was driving.

Richardson had stopped along a highway near Lewisville, Arkansas, to give Ackart a ride to a homeless shelter in Texarkana. Ackart sat in the front passenger seat of the deputy’s SUV. While Richardson was driving, Ackart reached over and seized the steering wheel, forcing the vehicle into oncoming traffic.

The SUV collided with a tractor-trailer, then left the roadway and went down an embankment. Richardson died from his injuries. The crash also injured three other drivers.

Witnesses told authorities Ackart apologized at the scene and said he “didn’t mean to do it.” Investigators later charged him with second-degree murder and three counts of aggravated assault.

In July 2015, Ackart entered a negotiated guilty plea to second-degree murder. A Lafayette County judge sentenced him to 30 years in prison.

Ackart entered the Arkansas prison system on July 13, 2015, and is currently housed in the East Arkansas Regional Unit in Brickeys. His projected earliest release date is May 10, 2028.

Correctional records note no violent incidents while incarcerated, though he has been disciplined repeatedly for refusing to obey orders, threats and throwing substances.