James Bates has filed a lawsuit against the Bentonville Police Department for conspiring to frame him for murder.
Following the 2015 death of Victor Collins, James Bates was charged with murder in the first degree as well as evidence tampering. The prosecution dismissed the charges, stating that the evidence supported more than one reasonable explanation for the death.
The case is already nationally known as Bentonville police and prosecutors requested that Amazon turn over information from the night of Victor Collins’ death from James Bates’ Echo. The Amazon Echo is a “smart” speaker, capable of communicating with the user.
Collins was found drowned in Bates’ hot tub, the morning after an evening of heavy drinking and watching football. Bates’ testified that when he went to bed, Collins and a friend were still in the hot tub.
As first reported by the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, Bates’ now is making the case that the widow of Victor Collins conspired with Bentonville Police in order to receive an insurance payout. The lawsuit details that two detectives falsified statements that Collins had cuts inflicted on his body and further argues that the state Crime Laboratory Pathologist lied about the autopsy results stating that Collins’ died of strangulation.
The lawsuit specifically names Bentonville Police Chief Jon Simpson, Capt. Justin Thompson, and detectives Jerrod Wiseman, Andy Oliver, Thomas Boyle, Kris Moffit and Joshua Woodhams, Dr. Charles Kokes, and Kristine Collins Homan.
