Kennett man pleads guilty to voluntary manslaughter in 2008 stabbing death

KENNETT, Mo. -- A Caruthersville, Mo., man was recently sentenced to eight years in prison on involuntary manslaughter charges.

Max Arnold, 26, of Caruthersville, appeared in court with his attorney, Andrew Bullard of Kennett, on April 22 and entered a voluntary guilty plea for the accidental killing of Phillip Jarvas, 32, of Sullivan, Mo.

Arnold, who was originally charged with second-degree murder and armed criminal action, received the charge of voluntary manslaughter following a plea agreement.

According to Dunklin County Prosecuting Attorney Steve Sokoloff, the charge was amended due to the lack of evidence to support the previous charges.

Arnold was arrested in late January, following an investigation into Jarvas' death, who was found lying under a carport on East Fifth Street in Kennett.

According to police, at approximately 11:49 a.m., on Sunday, Jan. 27, 2008, the department received a call saying there was a white male lying under the carport of the caller's home, appearing to be dead.

When officers arrived at the scene, they found Jarvas' body lying between the caller's car and the inner wall of the carport with a stab wound to the upper chest. Authorities also concluded that Jarvas had also suffered blunt force trauma to the head.

Police later located a pocket knife near the scene, which was determined to be the weapon used in the stabbing.

As officers were canvassing the area looking for witnesses, one witness told the police that he had observed Jarvas arguing with another man earlier that night, who was later identified as Arnold.

According to the witness, Jarvas had been harassing people at the residence and picking fights.

The police report indicated that Jarvas initiated a fight with Arnold, who, according to the witness, struck Jarvas over the head with a beer bottle.

The witness said approximately 10 minutes later, Jarvas returned to the residence with a four-way lug wrench, which he used to strike Arnold. The witness said at that point, Arnold took out a pocket knife and stabbed Jarvas in the chest.

According to investigators, during the interrogation process, Arnold told police that he remembered pulling out a knife during his second altercation with Jarvas.