Trumann, AR – Jonesboro Right Now – The suspect in the murder of a woman in Trumann whose remains were discovered last month is slated to return to court in October.
According to a scheduling order filed on Sept. 18 in the Poinsett County Circuit Court, a motion and plea day for 56-year-old Rudy Ray will be Oct. 12. A jury trial is scheduled for Nov. 2 through Nov. 6.
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Ray is facing felony charges of first-degree murder, abuse of a corpse and tampering with physical evidence in connection to the discovery of human remains at his property in Trumann back in August. The Arkansas State Crime Lab positively identified the remains as Rebecca Lucille Montgomery.
Ray was originally arrested on a fugitive from justice charge in Franklin, TN, on the same day the remains were discovered. He was transported back to Arkansas and booked into the Poinsett County Detention Center on Aug. 29, where he was ordered to remain in custody after a judge denied his bond.
An order filed on Sept. 9 stated that Ray’s bond be set at $5 million cash/surety, with the conditions he wear an ankle monitor and be restricted to house arrest if he posted bond. Prosecutors filed charges against him Sept. 16.
The case is still under investigation. Authorities have withheld further details regarding the exact circumstances of Montgomery’s death to protect the integrity of the ongoing case.
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