Fayetteville man accused of fatally shooting father after argument pleads not guilty

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — A Fayetteville man accused of murder after police said he admitted to fatally shooting his father after an argument in September has pleaded not guilty, according to court documents.

Robert Dickson, 29, was arrested on September 15 on one count of first-degree murder.

At around 3 p.m. on September 15, Dickson called 911 requesting an ambulance. He said that he and his father got into an argument.

According to the police report, Dickson said his father grabbed a handgun and started shooting at him.

“I grabbed my shotgun and shot back at him. He shot at me first. He was shooing his gun through my door from his room,” Dickson said in the report.

Once Fayetteville police arrived on the scene, they found the victim’s body in a bedroom closet.

Detectives searched the residence and found two bullet holes in the drywall “that traveled through the victim’s room into a wall in the stairway,” the report said. But no bullet holes were found in the victim’s bedroom door or Dickson’s bedroom door.

The report said that evidence at the scene indicated the victim was shot twice at close range while in his bedroom closet. A pistol was found in the closet near the victim.

Dickson is being held in the Washington County Detention Center on a $750,000 bond. His trial date is set for January 15, 2025.

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