True Crime Chronicles: Only one of four attackers in brutal 1996 Boone County murder still in prison

Jason Farrell McGehee

Jason Farrell McGehee, a then 21-year-old ringleader of a group of young adults and teenagers, was convicted of capital murder and kidnapping in the brutal death of 15-year-old John Melbourne Jr. on August 19, 1996 in Boone County.

McGehee, sentenced to life without parole after his initial death sentence was commuted, orchestrated the torture and murder alongside several coconspirators, exposing a web of petty crime, betrayal, and vengeance.

Nearly three decades later, McGehee remains incarcerated at the Varner Unit in Gould, Arkansas, while his accomplices faced varying fates for their roles in the crime that shattered a community.

1123 North Spring Street in Harrison

The murder of John Melbourne Jr. was rooted in a perceived act of betrayal. Melbourne, the youngest member of a group living at 1123 North Spring Street in Harrison, was sent by McGehee to cash a stolen check at Cooper’s Shoe Store on August 19, 1996.

When the store owner, Rick Harness, grew suspicious and alerted police, Melbourne was questioned and released to his father’s custody after revealing details about stolen property at the group’s residence.

This act branded him a “snitch” in the eyes of McGehee and his associates, setting the stage for a horrific act of retribution.

That evening, Melbourne returned to the house, where he was confronted by McGehee. What began as an interrogation quickly escalated into violence. McGehee, along with Christopher Epps, Benjamin McFarland, and to a lesser extent Candace Campbell, beat Melbourne for over an hour.

The group bound his hands, sprayed him with Lysol, burned him with a candle and cigarette butts, and forced him to swallow the butts. They then loaded the weakened and battered teenager into a vehicle and drove to an abandoned house in Omaha, owned by McGehee’s uncle.

During the drive, one of the group asked Melbourne how it felt to know he was going to die, a chilling foreshadowing of the events to come.

In Omaha, the brutality continued. McGehee, Epps, and McFarland beat Melbourne for another hour, with testimony indicating McGehee was the primary aggressor. After instructing Campbell and Robert Diemert to wait in the vehicle, the trio took a naked Melbourne into a wooded area behind the house, where they took turns strangling him to death.

When they returned, laughing, McGehee falsely assured Diemert that Melbourne was fine. Melbourne’s body, partially hidden behind bushes, was discovered by police over two weeks later on September 3, 1996, after Campbell revealed the crime to authorities.

The crime involved six individuals, including McGehee, each playing distinct roles in the events leading to Melbourne’s death. Below is a detailed account of the coconspirators, their actions, and their legal outcomes based on court records and testimony:

Christopher Epps (Age 19 in 1996): Epps was a key participant in the murder, actively involved in beating Melbourne at both the Harrison and Omaha locations. He was one of the three who strangled Melbourne in the woods. Epps was convicted of capital murder and kidnapping in a separate trial in Boone County (Case #1997-115). He received a sentence of life without parole for the murder, plus an additional 40 years for kidnapping. As of 2025, Epps, now approximately 48, remains incarcerated.

Benjamin McFarland (Age 17 in 1996): McFarland, a juvenile at the time, participated in the beatings and was one of the three who strangled Melbourne. Like Epps, he was convicted of capital murder and kidnapping and initially sentenced to life without parole. However, following a 2012 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that mandatory life sentences without parole for juveniles are unconstitutional, McFarland’s sentence was revisited.

In January 2017, he was resentenced to 40 years in prison. Having served nearly 26 years, McFarland was released on parole on August 19, 2022, at age 43, as he had served 70% of his sentence.

His release sparked debate about justice for Melbourne’s family, with Boone County Prosecuting Attorney David Ethredge noting the difficulty of reopening such cases for victims’ families.

Candace Campbell (Age 17 in 1996): Campbell, who lived at the Harrison house, witnessed and participated to a limited extent in the initial beating of Melbourne. She was present during the drive to Omaha and heard the threatening remarks made to Melbourne but did not participate in the final beating or strangulation.

Campbell became a state’s witness, providing critical testimony about the crime and leading authorities to Melbourne’s body after her arrest in Utah. She was charged with battery and kidnapping and sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole. The exact date of her release is unclear, but her cooperation likely influenced her sentencing and parole eligibility.

Robert Diemert (Age 27 in 1996): Diemert, the original renter of the Harrison house, had allowed McGehee to take over the premises after losing his job. He was present during the initial beating in Harrison and drove the group to Omaha at McGehee’s request. Diemert was also in the car when threatening remarks were made to Melbourne but did not participate in the Omaha beating or strangulation.

Like Campbell, he was charged with battery and kidnapping and sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole. His current status is not detailed in available records, but his lesser involvement and absence from the final act of murder likely affected his sentencing outcome.

Anthony Page (Age Unknown in 1996): Page was marginally involved, accompanying Melbourne to cash the stolen check at Cooper’s Shoe Store but not participating in the beating or murder.

He was not charged in connection with the murder or kidnapping, as his role was limited to the check-cashing incident that precipitated the events.

The investigation moved swiftly after Campbell’s confession to Utah authorities, where she, McGehee, and McFarland were arrested for stealing a car and checks from McGehee’s aunt.

Campbell’s account led police to Melbourne’s body, and physical evidence, including McGehee’s thumbprint on a property receipt issued to Melbourne, corroborated the group’s involvement. Detective Marc Arnold of the Harrison Police Department and Dr. Charles Kokes of the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory provided key testimony about the crime scene and Melbourne’s autopsy, which revealed severe decomposition consistent with the timeline of the murder.

McGehee, Epps, and McFarland were charged with capital murder and kidnapping, while Campbell and Diemert faced battery and kidnapping charges. Due to pretrial publicity, McGehee and McFarland’s trials were moved from Boone County to Baxter County.

Epps and McFarland were tried separately and convicted, each receiving life without parole. McGehee, the last to be tried, was convicted on January 8, 1998, and initially sentenced to death by lethal injection for the murder, with a concurrent life sentence for kidnapping.

Campbell and Diemert’s convictions resulted in lighter sentences due to their lesser roles and, in Campbell’s case, her cooperation.

Born on July 4, 1976, Jason Farrell McGehee was 21 at the time of the crime. A Caucasian male, he stands 6 feet tall, weighs 240 pounds, and has brown hair and blue eyes. His physical description includes tattoos of a cross on his right shoulder, an unknown design on his upper left arm, three dots on his left wrist, and a scar above his left eye.

Court testimony painted McGehee as the leader of the group, orchestrating the events that led to Melbourne’s death and directing the group’s flight to Utah to evade capture.

McGehee’s prior criminal history was minor, including three counts of hot check violations in Carroll County in 1995 , 48 months probation each) and a 90-day sentence for theft of property in 1996 .

These offenses contrasted sharply with the violence of the 1996 murder. After his conviction, McGehee faced a detainer from the Utah Department of Corrections for tampering (August 17, 1998, canceled June 21, 2011), related to the thefts in Utah, but this had no impact on his Arkansas sentence.

McGehee’s death sentence was reaffirmed by the Arkansas Supreme Court in 1999 and 2001 but was briefly overturned in 2008 by a federal judge who cited ineffective counsel and the jury’s lack of exposure to mitigating factors, such as McGehee’s alleged violent childhood and bipolar disorder diagnosis.

In 2009, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated the death sentence, finding the brutality of the crime outweighed the mitigating evidence. However, in April 2017, the Arkansas Parole Board voted 6-1 to recommend clemency, citing McGehee’s youth at the time of the crime (20), his exemplary prison record, and the disparity in sentencing compared to his codefendants.

On August 25, 2017, Governor Asa Hutchinson announced his intent to commute McGehee’s sentence, and in October 2017, it was officially changed to life without parole, aligning with the sentences of Epps and (initially) McFarland.

As of April 29, 2025, McGehee, now 48, remains at the Varner Unit.

The disparity in sentencing--McGehee’s initial death penalty versus life sentences for Epps and McFarland, and lighter sentences for Campbell and Diemer--sparked debate about fairness in the justice system.

McGehee’s clemency, supported by the trial judge and former Arkansas Department of Correction Director Ray Hobbs, was controversial, with Boone County’s prosecutor and sheriff objecting due to the crime’s brutality.

McFarland’s release in 2022 further complicated the narrative, raising questions about juvenile sentencing and victim closure.