A Camden man charged in the murders of his girlfriend and her child pleaded guilty in a Ouachita District Courtroom on Monday, Sept. 20.
Jory Worthen pleaded guilty to two counts of first degree murder Monday morning. Worthen was charged with the murders of Alyssa Cannon and her son, Braydon Ponder after the two were found dead in Cannon’s home on June 25, 2019.
”Judge Robin Carroll accepted the pleas and sentenced Worthen to life in the Arkansas Department of Correction on each count,” Ouachita County Prosecutor Jeff Rogers said.
Rodgers added, “I think it was a good outcome for the family; you can’t undo homicides, but at least the family can feel relief that — barring a Governor’s commutation of the sentence — Mr. Worthen will remain incarcerated for his entire natural life.”
Rogers noted that handwriting samples of a note found in the home were compared to samples of Worthen’s handwriting by the FBI and declared a match.
A warrant filed by Camden Police Department in June of 2019 states that the note in the home read as follows: “I’m sorry. I should have stopped drinking, and Alyssa was trying to kick me out because of Sydney. I lost it and finished it with instant regret. I have to die and be with them. I can’t stay here. My dad can have all of my things if he wants them. I should have got help a long time ago. If I can’t have them and be with them nobody can. I wish I could go back.”
At the time of the murders, Cannon had a restraining order against Worthen, but he was still living with her, according to police records.
Worthen allegedly fled the state in Cannon’s vehicle after the murders; it was later found abandoned in a parking lot in Seattle, Washington. The Western District of Arkansas’s United States Marshals Task Force was brought into the investigation to assist with apprehension since Worthen had crossed state lines and was believed to be armed and dangerous.
The investigative efforts by all agencies involved led them to a hotel in Burbank, California, on Oct. 5, 2020. After being identified, according to a press release from the U.S. Marshals, Worthen ran from law enforcement, but was found and taken into custody after a short foot pursuit.
Later that month, Worthen arrived back in Camden in the custody of the Camden Police Department, which earlier had sent officers to pick him up in California. Worthen appeared before a judge and was denied bond.
As of Monday afternoon, Worthen was still housed at the Ouachita County Detention Center.