True Crime Chronicles: Murder, later escape, has prison inmate from Logan County facing lengthy stay

In Booneville the 1998 murder of Rhonda Combs by her ex-husband, Timothy “Bo” Buffington, remains one of the community’s most haunting tragedies.

The calculated killing, driven by a bitter custody dispute, not only claimed the life of a young mother but also left a lasting impact on her family and the tight-knit Logan County community. Years later, Buffington’s dramatic 2014 escape from prison reignited public interest in the case, underscoring the ongoing consequences of his actions.

On a quiet summer evening in July 1998, 23-year-old Rhonda Combs was seated in the passenger side of her boyfriend Wayne Fletcher’s pickup truck on Carolan Bridge, a rural spot southwest of Booneville in Logan County.

Without warning, a single shot from a high-powered rifle struck Combs in the back of the head, killing her instantly. The shooter was her ex-husband, Timothy Buffington, then 31, whose actions were later determined to be motivated by a contentious custody battle over their two children—a son and a daughter—following their divorce 18 months prior.

Court records reveal that Combs had custody of their daughter and was actively seeking custody of their son, who was in Buffington’s care. Prosecutors identified this ongoing dispute as the catalyst for the murder, portraying Buffington’s act as a deliberate and premeditated response to the threat of losing custody.

Wayne Fletcher, who witnessed the shooting, immediately drove to the Booneville Police Department to report the crime, providing critical details that would later anchor the prosecution’s case.

Buffington fled the scene but was located 90 minutes later in a field off Highway 23, still in possession of the rifle used in the killing. After negotiations with Arkansas State Police, he surrendered and confessed to the murder, admitting to the calculated nature of his actions.

The swift apprehension and confession provided a foundation for the legal proceedings that followed, but for the Booneville community, the shock of such a violent act reverberated deeply.

Rhonda Combs was remembered by her family as a “beautiful, loving person” and a devoted mother. Born into a respected Booneville family, the 23-year-old was navigating the challenges of life after her divorce from Buffington and a brief subsequent marriage.

Combs’ death left her two young children without a mother and her family grappling with profound grief. The loss reverberated through Booneville, a town of fewer than 4,000 residents where such acts of violence were rare.

Friends and neighbors mourned the loss of a woman described as kind and family-oriented, whose life was cut short in a moment of senseless violence.

In 1999, Timothy Buffington faced trial in Logan County Circuit Court, initially charged with capital murder. Prosecutors, led by then-Prosecuting Attorney Tom Tatum II, sought the death penalty, emphasizing the premeditated nature of the crime.

Key evidence included Wayne Fletcher’s eyewitness testimony, which provided a chilling account of the shooting, and Buffington’s own confession, which left little room for doubt about his guilt.

The trial brought the details of the custody dispute into sharp focus, with prosecutors arguing that Buffington’s inability to accept the potential loss of custody drove him to commit murder. The defense, while acknowledging Buffington’s actions, sought to mitigate the charge from capital murder to a lesser offense.

Ultimately, the jury convicted Buffington of first-degree murder, a decision that spared him the death penalty but reflected the severity of his crime. On March 12, 1999, Buffington was sentenced to 20 years in prison and admitted to the Arkansas Department of Correction Pine Bluff Unit.

The custody dispute with Combs exposed a deeply controlling nature on the part of Bullington, , culminating in the murder that defined his criminal record. While little is known about his background prior to 1998, his later behavior as an inmate would further illustrate a propensity for reckless and dangerous conduct.

On June 21, 2014, Buffington’s story took a dramatic turn when he escaped from the ADC’s Pine Bluff Unit, where he was serving as a “trusty” inmate—a status granted to prisoners deemed low-risk and assigned to tasks like yard maintenance and janitorial work.

During his escape, Buffington broke into a secure room on prison grounds, stole a shotgun and ammunition, and briefly took a female employee hostage. The hostage escaped unharmed, but Buffington’s actions triggered a three-month manhunt that heightened anxiety in Booneville and surrounding areas.

For 90 days, Logan County residents lived with the knowledge that an armed and convicted murderer was at large. Law enforcement agencies, including the Arkansas State Police and local police, coordinated efforts to locate Buffington, while the community remained on edge.

On September 18, 2014, Buffington turned himself in to Booneville police, ending the manhunt without further violence.

In 2015, Buffington faced a new set of charges related to his escape, including kidnapping, first-degree escape, theft of property, aggravated assault, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. He pleaded guilty to all charges in a plea deal negotiated by Prosecuting Attorney Tom Tatum II, who consulted with the ADC and the kidnapping victim to ensure a fair resolution.

The court sentenced Buffington to an additional 18 years in prison, to be served consecutively with his original 20-year sentence, with no possibility of parole for the additional term. This ensured that Buffington, then in his late 40s, would remain incarcerated well into the future.

Buffington’s 2014 escape also exposed vulnerabilities in the ADC’s trusty inmate program, prompting scrutiny of how such designations are assigned and monitored. The fact that a convicted murderer was able to access a secure area and obtain a weapon raised concerns about oversight and safety protocols within the prison system.

While the ADC took steps to address these issues following the incident, the escape left a lasting impression on Booneville residents, many of whom felt betrayed by the system’s failure to prevent such a breach.

As of June 2025, Timothy Buffington, now in his late 50s, remains incarcerated with the Arkansas Department of Correction. His consecutive sentences ensure that he will not be eligible for release for many years, if ever.