Brendon Lambert, 36, died at a hospital; Melvin Jackson, 42, was jailed on a capital murder charge.
CONWAY, Ark. — Conway police say a dispute between two men who knew each other erupted into a stabbing Sunday morning, leaving 36-year-old Brendon Lambert dead and a 42-year-old suspect in jail on a capital murder charge within minutes.
The killing, reported at 7:08 a.m. Feb. 22 at 1205 Dave Ward Drive, set off an investigation that moved quickly from an emergency call to an arrest on South Davis Street. Authorities have released only limited details about the confrontation, but they say the suspect was found about 10 minutes after the stabbing and was taken into custody without incident as detectives continued to work the scene and gather witness accounts.
Police said officers responded to a report of a stabbing just after 7 a.m. and found Lambert suffering from stab wounds. First responders provided medical aid at the scene, authorities said, and Lambert was transported to a nearby hospital. He later died, police said. The Conway Police Department summarized the start of the response in a public statement, saying, “On February 22, 2026, at approximately 7:08 a.m., Conway Police Officers responded to a reported stabbing.”
Investigators identified the suspect as Melvin Jackson, 42, of Conway. Police said officers located him about 10 minutes later at a home on South Davis Street and took him into custody without trouble. Jackson was booked into the Faulkner County Detention Center and charged with capital murder, the department said. Authorities did not immediately say whether Jackson had made a statement, whether he had requested an attorney, or whether detectives had recovered a weapon.
Police say Lambert and Jackson knew each other and the stabbing occurred during an argument between them. Beyond that, investigators have not publicly explained what set off the dispute, where the men were standing when the stabbing occurred, or whether anyone tried to intervene. Authorities have not said whether the altercation was captured by surveillance cameras or recorded by bystanders, and they have not released a probable-cause document describing what led detectives to the suspect so quickly after the call came in.
The address police provided sits along Dave Ward Drive, also signed as Highway 60, a principal arterial roadway in Conway’s street network that connects neighborhoods and commercial areas. The corridor includes shopping centers, restaurants and parking lots that can be busy even early on weekends. Police did not say whether the stabbing happened inside a business, outside near an entrance, or in a parking area. Investigators also have not said whether the argument began at that location or whether the men arrived there already in conflict.
Charging the case as capital murder places it at the most serious level of homicide under Arkansas law. A conviction can bring life in prison without parole, and in some cases the death penalty, depending on how prosecutors proceed and what circumstances are alleged in court. Police have not said what factors they believe justify the capital charge at this stage, and they did not provide details about the underlying allegation that will be tested later in court filings and hearings.
In the first days after the killing, detectives typically work to lock down timelines, interview witnesses, review any available video, and seek medical and forensic findings that help explain the nature of the wounds and the sequence of events. In this case, investigators have not released a timeline beyond the initial call, the on-scene medical response, and the arrest roughly 10 minutes later. Police have also not released background information about Lambert or Jackson, or said whether the dispute involved a longstanding disagreement, a sudden confrontation, or a domestic or personal relationship.
Police said the investigation remained active and asked anyone with information to contact the Conway Police Department Criminal Investigation Division. Officials did not announce a date for a public briefing, and they did not release information about upcoming court proceedings. Jackson remained held at the Faulkner County Detention Center as the case moved forward, and prosecutors were expected to take the next steps in the court process as additional investigative details become part of the public record.
The case left unanswered questions about how a Sunday morning argument in a heavily traveled part of Conway escalated so quickly to deadly violence. For now, police have focused their public statements on the basic timeline, the known relationship between the two men, and the swift arrest, while withholding details that could emerge later through charging documents, hearings, and witness testimony.
As of Tuesday, Jackson was jailed on a capital murder charge and detectives continued to investigate the events that led to Lambert’s death.
Author note: Last updated February 25, 2026.