Trumann, AR – Jonesboro Right Now – Court documents show that the trial for a Trumann murder suspect has been pushed back to 2027.
According to an order filed on Oct. 12 in the Poinsett County Circuit Court, the motion and plea day for Rudy Ray has been rescheduled to Jan. 20, 2027. The delay was granted following an oral motion for continuance made by the defendant’s attorney. Ray’s jury trial is now scheduled to run from Feb. 8 through Feb. 12, 2027.
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Ray faces felony charges of first-degree murder, abuse of a corpse, and tampering with physical evidence. The charges stem from an August investigation into a missing person that led to the discovery of human remains at Ray’s property on Pine Street in Trumann. The Arkansas State Crime Lab later positively identified the remains as Rebecca Lucille Montgomery.
Ray was originally taken into custody on Aug. 21 in Franklin, Tenn., on a fugitive from justice charge on the same day the remains were discovered. He was extradited back to Arkansas and booked into the Poinsett County Detention Center on Aug. 29.
In early September, a judge set Ray’s bond at $5 million cash/surety, stipulating that if he posts bond, he must wear an ankle monitor and remain under strict house arrest. Formal charges were filed against him on Sept. 16.
Ray’s original motion and plea day was scheduled for Oct. 12, while his jury trial was scheduled for Nov. 2 through Nov. 6, court documents show.
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