True Crime Chronicles: Murderer of Rogers woman spent 21+ years on Death Row before dying in prison in 2023

On October 12, 1990, in Benton County 62-year-old Jane Martha Daniels was fatally shot in her home in Rogers with a stolen .44 caliber Magnum revolver. Earlier the same day, the nearby residence of Sharon and Mike Haley was burglarized, with the stolen revolver among the missing items.

This connection became pivotal in the investigation. Martha Jane Daniels was found dead from a single gunshot wound to the head and no signs of forced entry or struggle were evident at her home. Concurrently, Sharon Haley discovered her home burglarized, with a taped-open screen door and a missing .44 Magnum.

The Benton County Sheriff’s Office secured both crime scenes, collecting trace evidence and documenting the scenes meticulously. The simultaneous burglary and murder suggested a linked perpetrator.

The investigation gained traction when Don William Davis’s roommates reported suspicious behavior, prompting police to focus on him.

Ballistics confirmed the revolver as the murder weapon, though specific forensic details are unavailable

Don William Davis, born October 31, 1944, had a troubled background marked by parental abandonment, life in a children’s home, and substance abuse starting at age 12.

The stolen .44 Magnum and other recovered items directly tied him to both crimes. His roommates’ testimony about his actions and possession of stolen goods was crucial in establishing probable cause\

Davis was apprehended in New Mexico in 1990 and was extradited to Arkansas to face charges of capital murder and burglary. In March of 1991 Davis was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death.

His conviction was affirmed on direct appeal in 1993. He pursued post-conviction relief, which was denied on June 29, 1999. A federal judge granted a stay of execution in November 1999 due to concerns over lethal injection protocols, but the U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene.

A mental health evaluation had confirmed his competency to stand trial. Davis remained on death row until his death on August 7, 2023, from undisclosed causes.

Jane attended the University of Arkansas and was working on her Masters in FineArt when she married Richard I. Daniel. They were married on August 6, 1978.

She had traveled extensively in her youth, including travel to France and Egypt where she participated in charitable work.

Her body was cremated, and her ashes were spread in the mountains of Colorado.