BENTONVILLE -- Ted Meehan denies killing his father in 2014, but conceded prosecutors had enough evidence for a jury to find him guilty of capital murder.
The 31-year-old Siloam Springs man pleaded no contest Tuesday to the lesser charge of second-degree murder and received a 20-year prison sentence. He faced life imprisonment without the benefit of parole if convicted of capital murder. Jury selection was scheduled to begin Monday.
Meehan may be eligible for parole after serving five years in prison and must abide by a suspended sentence for 10 years after his release from prison.
Defense attorney Erwin Davis said Meehan can't remember much of the evening of his father's death, and Meehan's drug addiction may have affected his memory.
"He cannot plead guilty, but what he doesn't want to happen is a jury sentencing him to life in the pen," Davis said.
Circuit Judge Robin Green told Meehan a no contest plea brings the same consequences as a guilty plea.
Chief Deputy Prosecutor Stuart Cearley told the judge the reduced charge was discussed with law enforcement and the family.
Meehan's mother was in court and deputies allowed him to speak to her after Tuesday's hearing ended.
"I love you," he told his mother.
Tim Meehan Sr., 55, was found dead in his bedroom in his home at 15554 Airport Road, just east of Siloam Springs, on Dec. 26, 2014. He was shot once in the head.
The coroner estimated time of death at 8 p.m. Dec. 25, 2014, according to the probable cause affidavit.
The younger Meehan was arrested Sept. 13, 2016.
Benton County Sheriff's Office detectives said Ted Meehan was the only other person at the home when his father was killed, according to court documents.
Meehan denied killing his father in interviews with detectives, but described a nightmare he had about his father and said he worries every day he will be sent to hell, according to court documents.
Davis provided further detail on his client's condition after deputies were at the scene and put Meehan in the patrol car. "A deputy returns to the car and finds him unconscious in the back seat and a dog was licking him on the face," he said, adding the dog's actions didn't wake Meehan.
Cearley referenced Ted Meehan's use of methamphetamine and prescribed medications, adding his father was trying to limit his son's access to pills.
The time Meehan has spent in the Benton County Jail has changed him, Davis said. The attorney said he sometimes tells people that jail becomes them, and Ted Meehan falls in that category.
"He's sort of a very different Ted than when I met him," Davis said.
Meehan received 589 days of jail credit for the time he spent in the Benton County Jail awaiting his trial and must pay $920 in court costs.
General News on 04/29/2018