Man convicted of Caddo Valley gas station robbery-murder denied shorter sentence

One of three men guilty of the 2015 shooting death of a Caddo Valley store clerk is not getting any time shaved from his prison sentence.

James Gray, of Pine Bluff, is serving a 47-year sentence in the Arkansas Department of Corrections for his involvement in a January 2015 robbery-turned-deadly at Jordan’s Kwik Stop Shell at 180 Valley St. Gray and two other Pine Bluff residents — Craig Allen Wade and Laron Edward Williams — conducted the robbery that ultimately left 24-year-old Christopher D. Brown dead.

All three suspects were found guilty of first-degree murder and aggravated robbery. Gray’s involvement in the robbery was acting as the driver.

Gray will be 84 years old when he becomes eligible for parole in 2062, according to online prison records.

Gray, now 45, recently requested commutation of his sentence with the Arkansas Post-Prison Transfer Board. A commutation is a reduction in a court-imposed sentence; it may mean either a lesser term of imprisonment or a reduction of the sentence to time served.

9E Prosecuting Attorney Dan Turner filed a written objection to Gray’s request. “I objected due to the nature of the offense and because [Gray] is classified as a habitual offender,” Turner told arkadelphian.com. One of those prior convictions was aggravated robbery.

The board on Jan. 16 found Gray’s request to be Without Merit. A “Without Merit” recommendation is one in which the board does not approve of the inmate or parolee’s request. The governor may accept or reject the board’s recommendation.

Gray has sought post-conviction relief prior; in 2019 he filed paperwork claiming that his attorney had forced him to plead guilty and misled him about the 2015 charges and sentence.