Mayflower road-rage shooter sentenced to life without parole after jury trial

CONWAY, Ark. – A shooting death on an interstate on-ramp in 2023 has led to a Marion man receiving a life sentence without parole in a Faulkner County court.

A Monday release from the Twentieth Judicial District said that 20-year-old Dylan Collins of Marion was sentenced to life without parole on July 17 for a charge of capital murder. A jury found Collins guilty after less than an hour of deliberation in the death of Arva Wilkerson of Russell Springs, Kentucky, on Jan. 14, 2023.

According to court records, a Mayflower Police Department investigation determined that the then-18-year-old Collins shot Wilkerson in a road rage incident. Wilkerson had called 911 minutes before the shooting, complaining about a reckless driver, later determined to be Collins.

Collins told investigators he took the off-ramp in Mayflower, and Wilkerson followed him and continued to follow him onto the on-ramp. He stopped on the on-ramp to confront Wilkerson, he said.

At the on-ramp, police records show Collins got out of his car and walked towards Wilkerson’s pickup truck, then fired 13 shots from a handgun, striking Wilkerson three times. He then got back in his car and drove off.

Wilkerson died from his injuries the next day.

Twentieth District Prosecutor Carol Crews was grateful to the law enforcement support in resolving the investigation, calling Collin’s actions “senseless.”

“This was a senseless case where the shooter showed no remorse for what he did,” Crews said. “Thankfully, Mayflower Police Department Lieutenant Taylor Decker did not rest until this case was solved, and the jury saw to it that Dylan Collins is behind bars where he can’t hurt anyone else.”

Crews also expressed appreciation to members of the community who gave first aid to Wilkerson immediately after the shooting.

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