Convicted of killing an El Dorado woman in front of her children six years ago, Richard Eli Hart will soon be paroled from prison.
A jury convicted Hart of manslaughter in 2013 in the death of Amanda Fory, determining he acted recklessly but not purposefully when he shot Fory with a .380-caliber pistol in the fifth wheel camper they shared with three of her children, including two 15-month old twins.
Hart received two felony enhancements — commission of a felony with a firearm and commission of a felony in the presence of a child — and, while he received a 10-year sentence, was eligible for parole beginning in December of 2016.
Dina Tyler, communications director for the Arkansas Department of Corrections, confirmed the state had paroled Hart. He’ll be released once his parole plan is approved.
Brooke Cummings, executive administrator for the Arkansas Parole Board, said the board doesn’t release specific rationale when it comes to parole decisions, but that Hart is considered low-risk. His plan and parole supervision will be handled by Institutional Release Services, part of Arkansas Community Correction.
Hart has several special conditions of release, Cummings said: he can’t live in Union County while on parole, he can’t associate with the victim’s family, and he must complete community service hours if he’s not employed full time. That’s on top of standard release conditions, she said.
“Depending on where he will be paroled to, he will have to report to that field office, and he’ll have a parole officer that will oversee his release,” Cummings said.
Chief Deputy Prosecutor Jeff Rogers prosecuted Hart. Six years ago, he told the jury that Hart would be out of prison before Fory’s then-11-year-old son was out of high school if they convicted Hart of a lesser crime.
“He’ll be eligible to be back home, spending time with his family, doing what he loves to do, drinking beer and having fun,” Rogers said during the 2013 trial. “The other family is going to languish in sorrow forever.”
Rogers said he receives an automated notice when individuals are paroled, which he has not received yet.
“I was trying to do my job, to get justice for the girl’s family, her mom and those two kids particularly,” he said, noting Hart was tried on a greater charge of first-degree murder. “It was a very sad case.”
According to News-Times reporting from the trial, Rogers asserted that Hart had consumed two 24-ounce beers and a six-pack of tallboys before the shooting. Hart’s defense said the gun went off as Hart was handing it to Fory, striking her in the head.
The News-Times was alerted to the parole by a concerned Fory family member. Hart is currently being held at the Bowie Correctional Facility in Texas.
Caleb Slinkard can be reached at [email protected] or 870-862-6611 ext. 151.