A Stone County man has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder.
According to information filed with the Stone County Circuit Court, authorities allege Royce Calkins (pictured), 43, apparently left a Mountain View residence off Highway 87 after shooting his girlfriend and his father.
Around 3 p.m. on March 9, the Stone County Sheriff’s Department received a 911 call from Bradley Cates, who had gone to the residence to check on his mother, Brandy Patrick, the court info said.
In the court documents, Cates said he found the front door of the residence open, and when he went into the kitchen area, he found his mother and the owner of the residence, Ronald Calkins, deceased on the floor. Investigators later determined the two had been shot.
As the investigation progressed, authorities said the elder Calkins’ 2001 white Dodge Ram was missing from the residence. Later that day, the truck was spotted at a grocery store in Fifty-Six. The court information said deputies responded and took Royce Calkins into custody without incident. Deputies reported in the affidavit of arrest that the younger Calkins told them, “I’m sorry about all this. It was an accident.”
Later, Royce Calkins told authorities he believed his father and girlfriend had been conspiring against him, and there were others that were in on it, according to the court documents.
The arrest affidavit also noted that while being processed at the Stone County Jail, Calkins was asked if he had any medical conditions. He replied he suffered from a “broken heart because of what he had to do,” the affidavit said.
Royce Calkins is currently in the Stone County Jail on a bond of $500,000. He also faces a felony charge of possession of a firearm by certain persons.
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