Murder suspect attends his first hearing

— The second suspect for a 2014 murder in Camden made his first appearance in court on Wednesday.

Eric Thrower, 26, 1412 Scotia St., Camden, is being charged with capital murder for his alleged involvement in the murder of Erika Batton in September of 2014.

Batton was found beaten and unconscious in her smoke-filled apartment in the Lincoln Center housing complex in 2014. She was transferred to the Ouachita County Medical Center where she was later pronounced dead.

Thrower is the brother of Francine Cobb, 29, of Conway. Cobb who was taken into custody Friday in connection with the murder of Batton, is being held without bond at the Ouachita County Detention Complex and is also being charged with capital murder for Batton’s death. Thrower attended his sister’s hearing on Monday in civilian clothes and sat in the crowd. However, he wasn’t taken into custody until Tuesday morning.

Several friends and members of the Batton family also attended the hearing.

Thrower appeared calm Wednesday as he stood before Circuit Judge Hamilton Singleton. The judge explained that the purpose of the hearing is to inform the suspect of what he is being charged with and to determine if the suspect will be eligible for bond or need a court-appointed lawyer.

Thrower answered that he was aware of the charges. After Singleton gave Thrower the option to shut the hearing down until he could speak with a lawyer, Thrower accepted the offer and was led back into the Ouachita County Detention Complex. No trial date has been set for Cobb or Thrower.

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