Convicted Jonesboro murderer could leave state prison

JONESBORO, Ark. (KAIT) - The mother of a local murder victim is longing to keep her son’s killer behind Arkansas prison gates.

Logan Murray was convicted and sentenced to 40 years in state prison for the 2021 murder of Gavin Wagster.

But a statewide program could lead to his release from state prison.

Under the 309 Program, Murray could be transferred from the Ouachita River Correctional Unit in Malvern to a county jail closer to home.

His victim’s mother, Regina Wagster, calls the move a “nightmare.”

“You work and work really hard to get your feet back under you and then some kind of strange thing like this is sent to you in the mail,” she said. “Then you’ve got to fight for it all over again.”

Four years after her son’s brutal murder, she still grieves.

“He took the life of a 22-year-old for no reason and does not deserve any kind of special privileges,” Wagster said.

Arkansas Act 309 allows prisoners to work the remainder of their sentences in county jail facilities. Some program jobs allow inmates to work outside the jail gates, while others include cleaning crews and maintenance staff.

The 309 program started in 1983 to free up prison space and move inmates closer to their families.

“It kind of helps us out doing jobs around the office where we don’t have to hire groundskeepers,” said Jason Allen, assistant chief deputy at the Craighead County Sheriff’s Department.

Act 309 excludes inmates convicted of capital murder and first-degree murder.

In 2022, Murray pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 360 months in the ADC with an additional 120 months on a weapons enhancement charge.

On Feb. 25, Regina Wagster received a letter notifying her that Murray is being considered for the program.

“It’s just a nightmare,” she said. “Yes, we knew that eventually he would come up for parole, but we thought it would be more like seven years is what we were told.”

The letter states that Wagster has 30 days to write an objection to the ADC, which she plans to send soon.

She said the trauma is neverending.

“This is not justice,” Wagster said. “And no parent should realize that the person who took the life of their child without any remorse is getting special treatment and not even in a proper prison.”

There is no word on where Murray will transfer.

Allen told K8 News they do not have room to house any inmates in the 309 program for the foreseeable future.

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