Convict who skipped out on verdict in custody

West Memphis man arrested after leaving courthouse during trial

ralphhardin@gmail.com A West Memphis man on trial for attempted murder who decided not to stick around for the verdict and fled the Crittenden County Courthouse while the jury deliberated his fate earlier this month enjoyed a couple of weeks of extra freedom, but that came to an end late last week.

On Aug. 2, according to police reports, Madriekus Blakes, 32, of West Memphis, walked out of the front door of the courthouse and did not return.

Blakes was not in custody at the time of his trial. He was out on bond and thus under no direct supervision, but the case had already had enough odd circumstances surrounding it before Blakes flew the coop.

The previous evening, a courtroom bailiff made an astute observation, noticing Blakes catching a ride home with a member of his own jury after the day’s proceedings ended.

The bailiff said he saw Blakes get into an orange Chevy Camaro. He then saw a juror driving the same Camaro Wednesday morning before the trial resumed.

Following the observance, the juror admitted to taking Blakes home but claimed the two did not discuss particulars of the case. Circuit Judge John Fogleman decided to replace him with an alternate juror anyway prior to deliberations.

Blakes’s absence did not delay the court from proceeding with the case, however. The verdict was read, even if Blakes was not there to hear it. He was convicted on two counts of attempted murder for firing a weapon at a man and his son at a West Memphis convenience store back in 2018.

“Blakes has been taken into custody after Sheriff’s Deputies received a Crime Stoppers tip,” Sheriff Mike Allen reported late Thursday afternoon. “He is being booked into the Crittenden County Jail. He was arrested in West Memphis just a few minutes ago.”

In addition to the jury’s recommended sentence of 40 years for the attempted murder conviction, Blakes is now facing additional charges for the escape.