Bradford man faces murder charge in 2024 case

An Arkansas man arrested when Missouri authorities discovered a body in his vehicle after a 2024 police confrontation has been formally charged with first-degree murder, according to a court affidavit.

Jarrett W. Cousins (pictured below), 40, of Bradford, was arrested following a shooting involving law enforcement in Festus, Missouri, on Dec. 8. During a search of his vehicle, authorities found the body of Clara Blaxton, 45, in the front passenger seat, the affidavit filed in Independence County Circuit Court stated.

The Jefferson County, Missouri, Sheriff’s Office contacted Arkansas State Police on Dec. 10 after determining that the alleged homicide may have occurred in Arkansas. Special Agent Jeremy Hughes of the Arkansas State Police detailed the investigation in a sworn affidavit.

According to the document, the Missouri medical examiner estimated Blaxton had been dead for 24 to 48 hours before the shooting incident in Missouri. Surveillance footage placed Cousins at a gas station in Batesville, Arkansas, at about 12:30 a.m. on Dec. 8, while other footage showed his vehicle crossing into Missouri at approximately 6:59 a.m.

The affidavit outlines Cousins’ movements the day before the incident. On Dec. 7, around 4:45 p.m., he was recorded on surveillance video at a Family Dollar store in Pleasant Plains, Arkansas, driving a dark-colored Dodge truck. Blaxton was not seen with him, and witnesses did not report seeing her that day.

A witness later reported seeing Cousins near the property of a relative, Earl Cousins, in Floral, Arkansas, between 5 and 5:15 p.m. According to the court information, Earl told investigators that Jarrett arrived at his property around dusk, pulled a .45-caliber handgun on him, and implied that something had already happened to Blaxton. Fearing for his life, Earl said he helped load Blaxton’s body into the passenger seat of Jarrett’s truck.

Additional witnesses in Judsonia, Arkansas, told investigators that Jarrett Cousins arrived at a residence there wearing a bulletproof vest. They said they did not see Blaxton and that Cousins told them not to worry about her, saying she was “fine where she was.”

Following his arrest, Cousins gave a post-Miranda interview, according to the affidavit. He allegedly told investigators that he and Blaxton were married and had made a pact to die together rather than go to jail. He said they argued about him shooting her, and although he initially resisted, she insisted. He stated he shot her once, and when she did not die, he shot her again to ensure she was dead. According to his arrest affidavit, Jarrett Cousins said the shooting took place on Earl Cousins’ property.

The bond for Jarret W. Cousins’ first-degree murder charge was set at $1 million.