Thomas Kevin Blewett, the 19-year-old Carroll County man who had been charged with first-degree murder in the death of another local teen more than a year ago, pleaded guilty Wednesday, Aug. 12, to a reduced charge of negligent homicide.
As part of a deal with prosecutors, Blewett also pleaded guilty to two counts of tampering with evidence and was sentenced to 18 years in prison, bringing an end to a court case in which a previous plea agreement fell apart on two separate occasions.
All three charges were described as Class B felonies.
Blewett, accompanied by defense attorney W.H. Taylor, entered his guilty plea during a hearing before Special Judge Gary Arnold in Carroll County Circuit Court in Berryville. Arnold accepted the plea agreement and sentenced Blewett to six years on each charge, with the sentences to be served consecutively.
Blewett was charged in the shooting death of 19-year-old Alexzander Bernhardt of Green Forest, whose body was found by Carroll County Sheriff’s Office deputies on Carroll County Road 435 north of Oak Grove on July 9, 2025.
Blewett had been scheduled to stand trial beginning Aug. 24.
Blewett testified briefly during Wednesday’s hearing, apologizing to Bernhardt’s family. Blewett said he was “very intoxicated” on the night Bernhardt was killed and that his actions were “negligent.”
Blewett said he and Bernhardt were both attempting to gain control of the weapon, a 9-millimeter handgun, when it discharged.
“I do not know if the safety on the weapon was off or if the safety was defective,” he said. “That is no excuse, and I take full responsibility for my actions.”
Later, Blewett said: “I am terribly sorry for what happened to Alex and for what has happened to his family as a result of his death.”
Blewett’s testimony came after three relatives of Bernhardt were called to the stand by special prosecuting attorney Will Jones to deliver victim impact statements.
The first, Dawn Tanner, identified herself as Bernhardt’s aunt. She said she was speaking “as a voice for an entire shattered family.”
Directing her remarks toward Blewett, Tanner said: “You took a life, leaving us to navigate a life that will never be the same.”
Tanner described her nephew as a “fun-loving, kindhearted kid, full of potential.”
That potential will never be realized, Tanner said.
“Instead of celebrating milestones, now we visit a grave,” she said.
Bernhardt’s death has left the family with “anger, sadness and a deep sense of injustice,” Tanner said.
“Our family has been changed forever,” she said.
Bernhardt’s grandmother Yvonne McConnell also testified, saying the family accepted the plea agreement to avoid the pain that a trial would bring.
“This was not an easy decision,” McConnell said. “Even 18 years doesn’t feel like justice for the life of my 19-year-old grandson.”
McConnell said Bernhardt was her first grandchild.
“There’s an emptiness now that cannot be filled,” she said.
Bernhardt’s mother, Stephanie Griffith, was the last of his family members to testify. She said that she had difficulty writing about Bernhardt’s death, but read a statement from her brother, Uriah Tanner, who said that he is attempting to forgive Blewett but that he hopes Blewett will think about his actions and their consequences.
INVESTIGATION
The Arkansas State Police investigated Bernhardt’s death at the request of the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office.
ASP Special Agent Jana Cordes wrote in an arrest affidavit that Blewett allegedly shot Bernhardt in the forehead while the two were riding in a 2016 Kia Soul with two other occupants. Investigators allege Blewett then removed Bernhardt’s body from the vehicle, attempted to clean the interior and helped conceal the vehicle in a wooded area near Oak Grove.
Witnesses later told investigators that Blewett was holding a tan 9-millimeter pistol immediately after the shooting and allegedly said, “I’m gonna go to prison for life,” according to the affidavit.
Cordes’ affidavit says then-Green Forest police officer Tommy Blewett — Thomas Kevin Blewett’s father — later contacted dispatchers with information about the vehicle’s location. During a bond hearing in November 2025, Carroll County Prosecuting Attorney Tony Rogers said Tommy Blewett was “not cooperating” with investigators. Rogers said the elder Blewett’s cellphone had “pinged at a farm pond at 3:30 a.m.” near where Bernhardt’s body was discovered.
Rogers said during a hearing in March that the handgun believed to have been involved in Bernhardt’s death has never been recovered.
Tommy Blewett was arrested by the state police on a perjury charge in June. An affidavit written by Cordes alleges that Tommy Blewett made multiple false statements to investigators regarding communications with his wife, Bethany, on the night of Bernhardt’s death and about his whereabouts that night. The affidavit says cellphone data showed that Tommy Blewett was not truthful with investigators.
Tommy Blewett resigned from the Green Forest Police Department after his arrest. During a separate hearing earlier Wednesday before Carroll County Circuit Judge Scott Jackson, Tommy Blewett agreed to give up his law enforcement certification and never again seek employment as a law enforcement officer. In exchange, Jones said prosecutors would not pursue criminal charges against Tommy Blewett.
COURT TIMELINE
Thomas Kevin Blewett was arrested on July 18, 2025, nine days after Bernhardt’s death. His bond was originally set at $1 million, but Jackson lowered that to $250,000 in November and Blewett was released from jail less than 48 hours later.
Relatives of Bernhardt said before a May 18 hearing that they had been advised by Rogers of plans for a plea agreement that would allow Blewett to plead guilty to manslaughter in exchange for a five-year prison sentence.
No plea agreement was mentioned during the May 18 hearing, however. Instead, Jackson said he had received mail from individuals who were unhappy with the proceedings, and that those letters would be entered as evidence. Jackson also disclosed that his daughter, who had recently graduated from the University of Arkansas School of Law, had worked as a clerk in Taylor’s law firm while attending law school. Jackson said his daughter had no knowledge of any cases he might preside over, and Taylor said she had been instructed “not to touch any files” involving Carroll County cases.
Jackson recused from the case two days later, citing “a conflict.”
Arnold, a retired circuit judge from Saline County, was appointed by Arkansas Supreme Court Chief Justice Karen Baker to preside over the case on May 22.
During a brief hearing on June 1, Arnold scheduled another court appearance for Blewett on June 4, with Taylor saying: “We believe that we’ll dispose of the case at that time.”
Instead, Rogers filed a motion on June 2 seeking a continuance, writing that prosecutors had “received information during the course of an interview” and needed additional time to investigate. Arnold granted Rogers’ motion and scheduled Thomas Kevin Blewett’s next court appearance for June 17.
Rogers filed another motion on June 11 — the same day Tommy Blewett was arrested — requesting the appointment of a special prosecutor.
Taylor filed a response the next day, asking that Arnold dismiss the motion and accept the plea agreement.
At the June 17 hearing, Taylor outlined in open court the details of the plea agreement that he said both sides had accepted. According to Taylor, the two sides had agreed that Blewett would plead guilty to manslaughter and receive a 20-year sentence with 15 years suspended. He also would have pleaded guilty to two counts of tampering with evidence and received concurrent five-year sentences on those charges.
Instead, Arnold granted Rogers’ motion requesting a special prosecutor and later appointed Jones, the prosecuting attorney for Pulaski County.
Thomas Blewett was taken into custody at the conclusion of Wednesday’s hearing and booked into the Carroll County Detention Center on hold for the Arkansas Department of Corrections.
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