By JOAN McCOY
Leader staff writer
The Greenbrier woman charged with protecting her husband after he allegedly robbed and murdered a Cabot man pleaded guilty in Lonoke Circuit Court this week.
The man she admitted to helping continues to plead not guilty and is set for trial on Oct. 27 for capital murder.
Jaclyn Derreberry, 31, was sentenced Thursday to 20 years in prison with six years suspended. Prosecutor Chuck Graham said she will also get credit for the 169 days she has spent in jail since her arrest.
Cabot firefighters discovered the body of Billy Joe Pipkin, 61, on April 4 when they responded to a fire at his pawnshop and used-car business at 3650 S. Hwy. 367.
Five days later, David Derreberry, 37, was arrested and charged with capital murder, aggravated robbery, arson, theft of a firearm and theft of property more than $2,500.
His wife was charged with hindering apprehension, two counts of theft by receiving, and criminal use of property and laundering of criminal proceeds.
Investigators with the State Police, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the county sheriff’s department locatedDerreberry by the car he was driving, a black Volkswagen convertible with chrome wheels, when he allegedly killed Pipkin.
The victim’s father, Abe Pipkin, was a Beebe police officer who was found beaten to death with a crowbar almost on the same day 34 years earlier.
The elder Pipkin’s murder went unsolved for 25 years until Gary Lee Evans confessed to his girlfriend, who was wearing a recorder, that he had murdered the police officer when Abe Pipkin came upon Evans and others robbing a drugstore. Evans was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
