Sevier County Man Charged With First-Degree Murder

A Sevier County man has been formally charged with first-degree murder in connection with the August death of a man found outside a residence just north of De Queen.

Roy Garza, 35, was charged this week in Sevier County Circuit Court in the death of 67-year-old Gregorio Pantoja. Garza remains in the Sevier County Jail on a $1 million bond.

The investigation began Aug. 26 after Sevier County 911 received a call reporting a man possibly dying at a residence on Robinson Loop Road. Pantoja was found dead near a van where authorities said he had been living.

According to an arrest affidavit, investigators found injuries that appeared consistent with either being struck by a vehicle or severely beaten. Blood was reportedly found around the van, along with a broken driver’s side window.

Investigators also found evidence that a vehicle had crashed through a closed gate and wooden fence. Authorities connected the evidence to a white Dodge Charger involved in a single-vehicle crash on Robinson Loop Road the previous evening.

Garza was found in the passenger seat of the Charger. Investigators reviewing body-camera footage reported seeing what appeared to be blood droplets on the back of Garza’s shirt.

The affidavit also states investigators found vehicle parts at Pantoja’s property that appeared to match the Charger. A tire iron found inside the vehicle reportedly appeared to have blood and hair on it.

Based on the evidence gathered during the investigation, authorities sought an arrest warrant charging Garza with first-degree murder.

The investigation involved the Sevier County Sheriff’s Office, Arkansas State Police, De Queen Police Department and the Ninth West Judicial Drug Task Force.