Police said the victim, 36-year-old Brendon Lambert, died after a Sunday morning fight on Dave Ward Drive.
CONWAY, Ark. — A 42-year-old Conway man was jailed on a capital murder charge after police said an argument early Sunday turned into a fatal stabbing that left 36-year-old Brendon Lambert dead.
Investigators say the two men knew each other and were arguing when Lambert was stabbed just after 7 a.m. on Feb. 22 on Dave Ward Drive, a busy east-west corridor in Conway. The arrest came within minutes, police said, and the case is now moving into the early stages of a homicide prosecution while detectives work to pin down what led to the fight.
In a brief account released after the killing, the Conway Police Department said officers were called to the area at the start of the day. “On February 22, 2026, at approximately 7:08 a.m., Conway Police Officers responded to a reported stabbing,” the department said in a public statement. Police said Lambert was found with stab wounds and was given aid at the scene before being taken to a nearby hospital. He was later pronounced dead, authorities said, without releasing additional medical details.
Police identified the suspect as Melvin Jackson, 42, of Conway. Officers located him about 10 minutes after the stabbing at a home on South Davis Street and took him into custody without incident, authorities said. Jackson was booked into the Faulkner County Detention Center on a capital murder charge, and investigators did not immediately describe what evidence led them to him so quickly. Police also did not release information about whether a knife was recovered, whether anyone else was present during the confrontation, or whether surveillance video captured any part of the encounter.
Dave Ward Drive, also signed as Highway 60, is a major arterial that carries heavy local and regional traffic through a stretch lined with stores, restaurants and apartments. The stabbing was reported at 1205 Dave Ward Drive, according to information released by police. The timing — shortly after sunrise on a Sunday — drew attention in a part of town where morning traffic can include churchgoers, shift workers and customers stopping at convenience businesses. Authorities have not said whether the argument began inside a business, in a parking lot, or along the roadside.
The capital murder charge is the most serious homicide count in Arkansas. Under state law, a capital murder conviction carries the possibility of life in prison without parole, and in some cases the death penalty, depending on how prosecutors pursue the case and what aggravating factors are alleged in court filings. Police have not publicly described what specific allegation or circumstance they believe elevates the killing to capital murder at this stage, and they have not released an affidavit outlining their probable-cause narrative.
In the hours after the stabbing, investigators focused on reconstructing the argument, the moments leading up to the injury, and the steps taken by witnesses and first responders. Police said Lambert was given medical aid at the scene before he was transported, suggesting that patrol officers and medics treated him immediately. Authorities have not said how long the argument lasted, whether either man was injured besides Lambert, or whether the dispute involved a prior disagreement between people who knew each other. Detectives also did not say whether Jackson has an attorney or whether he has made any statements to police.
Next steps in the case will unfold in Faulkner County’s courts, where prosecutors typically present the charging paperwork and seek to keep a homicide suspect held while the investigation continues. As of Tuesday, police said the investigation remained active, and they asked anyone with information to contact the Conway Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division. Court dates and the timing of Jackson’s first formal appearance before a judge were not listed in the information released publicly by police, and authorities did not announce a schedule for a news briefing.
For neighbors along the Dave Ward Drive corridor, the case landed as another reminder that violence can erupt in everyday places, even in a commercial stretch more often associated with errands and commuting than serious crime. Investigators emphasized the known relationship between Lambert and Jackson, but they did not say whether the two men were relatives, friends, co-workers or acquaintances. Police also have not released details about Lambert’s background or whether his family has been notified through a formal statement.
The case remained under investigation Tuesday, with Jackson held in the Faulkner County Detention Center and detectives working to determine what sparked the argument and how the encounter unfolded.
Author note: Last updated February 25, 2026.