Authorities in Fulton County have arrested and charged 48-year-old Rick Headley, with Murder in the first degree for the 1991 murder of Sabrina Underwood.
According to the Affidavit filed Oct. 16 in Fulton County and according to Arkansas State Police Special Agent Justin Nowlin, on January 20, 1991, Sabrina Underwood had been dropped off by her mother at the intersection of U.S. 412 and U.S. Hwy 62 near Bear Creek in Boone County Arkansas.
Sabrina planned to hitch hike to Calico Rock and visit an inmate incarcerated in the Arkansas Department of Corrections.
Sabrina was from Huntsville Arkansas and a missing persons report had been filed with the Madison County Sheriff’s Office.
On April 8, 1991, a hunter reported finding clothing and suspicious items in a bundle near the Gum Springs Cemetery west of Salem in Fulton County.
At that time, Fulton County deputies responded to the scene where the discovered human remains and requested assistance from the Arkansas State Police.
The victim was positively identified as Sabrina Underwood as the clothing with the remains matched the description of the clothing Sabrina had worn the day her mother last saw her.
Her remains were examined by the Arkansas State Crime Lab Chief Medical Examiner F.A. Malak and the Department of Anthropology at the University of Arkansas but the cause of death was ruled undetermined at the time.
During the investigation, investigators with the Arkansas State Police, 16th Judicial Drug Task Force and the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office have conducted numerous interviews and developed leads and suspects.
In July of 2022, Nowlin received a tip from the Madison County Sheriff’s Office In regards to the investigation. An area attorney had stated one of his clients had information about the case that would possibly aid authorities In identifying the suspect who had murdered Sabrina.
On August 19, 2022, Nowlin and Fulton County Sheriff Office Investigator Dale Weaver interviewed the witness at the North Central Unit prison in Calico Rock.
The witness stated he was in prison with Headley at the Varner Unit in Gould Arkansas and that Headley had provided him a confession letter with details of the killing of Sabrina Underwood, which he gave to authorities.
A few days later, authorities interviewed Headley at the Varner Unit prison in regard to the death of Sabrina. Headly was read his rights and was shown a photo of Sabrina.
Headley said he did write the confession letter and that at the time of her murder, he was returing from Hutnsville Arkansas. He had stopped at a gas station in Bellefonte Arkansas and was approached by Sabrina for a ride.
Headley said he’d told Sabrina he was going to Mountain Home, and on the way, Sabrina had said she was going to Viola to visit friends or family.
When the two arrived at Moutnain Home, Sabrina asked for a ride to Viola but that she did not have money for fuel.
Headley said he had told Sabrina he wasn’t worried about gas money but on the way to Salem, Headley said Sabrina began to make sexual advances toward him.
When the two arrived in Viola, he intended to pull over at Harber’s Cycle Shop, but there were people present so he continued driving and turned on to the first road he saw and pulled into a cemetery.
After pulling into the cemetery, Headley said the two had sex and then Sabrina asked him if he had any money.
He said Sabrina asked for a couple hundred dollars and said if he didn’t pay her, she was going to tell everyone he’d hurt her.
Headley said he was in shock and knew there would be problems. He said he told Sabrina he’d have to go back home to get that amount of money.
He said he started to drive away and leave Sabrina, but could not let her ruin his life over something he didn’t do. He told authorities he attacked her outside of his truck and drug her through the cemetary into a wooded area far enough that no one could see what was about to happen. He said he then used a knife to kill Sabrina.
Headley said it would never have happened if Sabrina hadn’t made the implication and that he snapped at that point. He said he decapitated Sabrina so there was no chance she could tell on him.
He said after killing her, he tried to cover her body with sticks and leaves and then gathered the items she had with her and threw them out with her body in the wooded area.
He said he took the knife and other tools he had used from the crime scene, but did not take the Sabrina’s head.
As he made his way back to Mountian Home he pitched the weapons from his truck.
After arriving home, he took off his clothes, placed them in a trash bag, took a shower and then took his clothes to a nearby dumpster.
Headley said he had never read a newspaper article about the murder nor had anyone told him about it and that he hoped no arrests had been made because he had committed the murder.
On August 26, 2022 authorities interviewed the witness that stated Headley said he had killed Underwood and wanted to get the murder off his chest.
After checking to match the vehicle, location and other facts leading up to the murder, authorities confirmed the what Headley had described including his vehicle, place of residence and now deceased family member he had been visiting in Huntsville.
Headley has been charged with murder in the first degree and a no bond, bond has been set.
Lauren is a an award-winning journalist who decided after 10 years of newspaper experience to venture out. Hallmark Times was born.
