Man accused of killing his sister in Searcy County makes first court appearance

The Florida man accused of killing his sister in Searcy County made his first court appearance Tuesday. Sheriff Kenny Cassell says sixty-eight-year-old Mark Randolph Brown of Deland Florida was transported back to Searcy County last Friday and made an appearance before Judge H.G. Foster in Searcy County Circuit Court where Foster set bail at $1 million.

Brown’s pretrial hearing is scheduled for Nov. 10 at 9:30 where he will enter his plea to the charge of first degree murder.

Brown is accused of shooting his sister, 69-year-old Mona Sloop, to death in the driveway of her residence on Shady Grove Road, about 10 miles southeast of Marshall July 22. Sloop was shot one time in the back.

According to the probable cause affidavit from the Searcy County Sheriff’s Office, Brown and an acquaintance, John Ray Kanger, drove from Florida to Sloop’s residence in Searcy County on July 20 according to Kanger who was interviewed in Florida prior to Brown’s arrest.

After Brown talked to his sister for a short time, Sloop turned and walked away. Brown at that point retrieved a gun from his vehicle and shot Sloop in the back. After shooting his sister, Brown went and checked on Sloop, and then got back in his vehicle and left. Kanger told investigators he did not get out of the vehicle. Brown and Kanger then drove back to Florida, stopping only for gas and to rest.

Sloop’s body wasn’t found until two days later. Due to decomposition, her body was sent to the Arkansas State Crime Lab to confirm her cause of death. It was determined she died from the single gunshot to the back.

Brown was arrested in Volusia County Florida Oct. 2 and extradited back to Arkansas.

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