Overview
- Circuit Judge Robin Green found probable cause and ordered cash or corporate surety bonds of $750,000 for Michael Hogue and $500,000 for Amanda Penny.
- Hogue, 51, and Penny, 40, are jailed on first-degree murder and firearm charges in the July death of Nikel, with arraignments set for Jan. 5, 2026.
- Chief deputy prosecutor Joshua Robinson cited the case’s strength and prior convictions in seeking high bond, describing Hogue as a habitual offender.
- A probable-cause affidavit describes an alleged altercation near Arkansas 12, Nikel telling responders Hogue shot him, a revolver recovered and matched by ballistics, and messages arranging a meetup.
- Court records say Penny is Nikel’s ex-wife whose divorce was finalized July 8; Nikel wrestled as Knuckles Madsen in WWE NXT and ran Ozark Mountain Wrestling.