An Arkansas man was arrested over the weekend in connection with the murder of his wife who was found shot to death in her car in the spring of 2021.
Jason Ross Dunigan, 39, is accused of capital murder over the May 28, 2021, death of his 36-year-old wife, Amber Dunigan. Amber's body was found inside her parked car along an Arkansas highway late at night.
At the time, local media outlet KNWA reported Jason as part of the grieving family that "wanted answers' about Amber's death. Now, according to court documents, Jason was responsible for his wife's death.
A criminal information submitted to the Fourth Judicial District Court on Feb. 17, 2022, alleges that "the defendant shot his wife in the head" and that he committed the alleged crime "with the premeditated and deliberated purpose of causing the death of another person."
The following day, the court issued an arrest warrant for one count of Capital Murder, a class Y felony and he was taken into custody in Farmington, Arkansas. He was booked into Washington County Jail on February 19 and released on a $250,000 bond.
Jason Told Investigators He Became Concerned When His Wife Didn't Come Home
According to court documents, Jason told investigators that "he had met the victim at that spot earlier in the evening," according to a report. He added that he met her there because he was having mechanical issues with his car.
Jason told investigators that after meeting, he left his wife there and drove back to their home in Farmington. He later "became concerned" when she didn't arrive home, and he said that he made multiple calls but was unable to contact her.
Jason then reportedly called his parents and drove with them back out to where his wife's body was found. He told investigators that he found her dead in her car there.
Jason Complained About Not Getting Amber's Insurance Policy, His Shirt Tied to Crime Scene
Investigators found a small piece of neon green fabric near Amber's head, which police say, "appeared to be very similar to the fabric used on the suspect's work shirts." Authorities now believe that Jason one of his shirts "to muffle the sound of a gunshot."
A witness later told police that the publicly-grieving husband was privately complaining that his wife's place of business, Supercuts, would not release his slain wife's life insurance policy. During the course of the investigation, it was revealed that Amber possessed a life insurance policy worth $300,000 with the suspect and her son listed as beneficiaries.
The investigation also revealed that Jason vented about being "the number one suspect" while allegedly projecting confidence that an investigation would show she was killed by a hunter.
Data from Infotainment System in Jason's Car Contradicted His Statement
When initially interviewed by police, Jason allegedly said he was out looking at property during the time period when his wife likely would have been shot and killed. He could not recall where or what property he saw, police said, and a later search of the native GPS system in his car put his car near–and then right next to–his wife's car during that time period when he was allegedly looking at parcels of land.
Arkansas police said they analyzed the "Infotainment Center" in Dunigan's car to track where he was the night his wife was killed.
"It showed that the vehicle was parked near the Lake Wedington boat ramp at 7:00 p.m. This is just east of where the victim was found. The data showed that at 7:07 p.m., the vehicle moved to the spot where the victim was found a remained there until 7:57 p.m. This information contradicted both the suspect's statement of what time he spent looking for property, as well as the amount of time he spent waiting on the victim after his car began to act up," the probable cause affidavit said.
He was in a Sexual Relationship with Him and His Wife's Roommate
In another interview, police claim, they queried Jason and Amber's roommate, who said she was in a longtime sexual relationship with him that Amber eventually found out about. On the night of the murder, the roommate allegedly said Jason got home, asked her to plug in his phone, and "then immediately went and washed his hands."
