Jonesboro, AR — (JonesboroRightNow.com) — June 20, 2025 — The charges against a Paragould man accused of murdering his elderly parents in Craighead County in 2023 were dismissed Thursday, according to court documents.
Court documents say that Deputy Prosecuting Attorneys Charlene Davidson and Katherine Calaway entered a motion for order of nolle prosequi, meaning they no longer wish to prosecute a pending criminal case against the defendant.
K8 News reported in May 2023, 61-year-old Jonathan Dean Boyd of Paragould was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, one count of aggravated robbery and one count of theft of a firearm. Boyd’s bond was set at $5 million. He was suspected in the murders of 84-year-old Larry Dean Boyd, his father, and his stepmother, 80-year-old Othelana Boyd.
The couple was found dead in their home on May 8, 2023, around 11 a.m. Boyd was arrested May 21, 2023, by the Greene County Sheriff’s Office and Paragould police, K8 News reported.
“At the time of Boyd’s arrest, the Craighead County Sheriff’s office presented strong circumstantial evidence in support of the arrest and subsequent filing of the charges,” the attorneys wrote in their motion. “Additional crime lab testing results have recently been made available to law enforcement. It is in the best interest of justice to enter an order of nolle prosequi for good cause and to continue the investigation.”
The deputy prosecuting attorneys also wrote that the investigation into the couple’s death is ongoing and will continue.
Circuit Court Judge Scott Ellington granted the motion for the order of nolle prosequi on June 19. He also wrote that Boyd may be released from the Craighead County Detention Center (CCDC). The CCDC confirmed to JRN that Boyd was released on Thursday.
Ellington had granted at least eight orders continuing and rescheduling Boyd’s trial. The most recent order on April 22 had rescheduled the trial for July 17 and 18.
“This case is gonna remain an open investigation,” said Craighead County Sheriff Marty Boyd. “We’ll continue to interview and gather evidence or review evidence.”