The man suspected of killing a Hope native and his wife Sunday was killed in a gunfight with police Sunday night.

Donald "Donnie" Hux of Arkadelphia, is believed to have killed Sandy Carl Huckabee, formerly of Hope, in his home at 2304 Forrest Park in Arkadelphia around 4 a.m.

According to police, Hux then kidnapped his ex-wife and Huckabee's current wife, Amy Hunter Huckabee along with the couple's three young children.

After dropping the children off unharmed at Hux's parents home in El Dorado later that day, Hux was killed in a gunfight with police in Union County. Afterwards, Mrs. Huckabee was discovered dead.

Sandy Huckabee, who was believe to have been shot in his sleep, was a cousin of Hope native and former Governor Mike Huckabee.

Arkadelphia police had issued an arrest warrant for Hux for Capital Murder, Kidnapping, Possession of a Firearm and Aggravated Residential Burglary after the death of Mr Huckabee and apparent kidnapping of the man's family. The Union County Sheriff's Office, along with state and federal law enforcement agencies from surrounding states then began looking for Hux and Amy Huckabee. 

Shortly after 9 p.m. police spotted Hux leaving his parents home on Hwy 82 three miles west of El Dorado when the gunfight began.

Hux, 36, had been in and out of legal trouble in the states of Texas and Louisiana during the past two years. Most recently, Hux pleaded guilty in October to a misdemeanor assault charge in Caddo Parish, Louisiana. He was first charged with two counts of attempted aggravated sexual assault.

According to Sandy Huckabee's Facebook page, Sandy Huckabee was self-employed as a psychological examiner. He also worked for ECCEL in El Dorado in a similar position. Huckabee was a 1979 graduate of Hope High School and received degrees in biblical studies and psychology from Ouachita Baptist University in 1990. He held a master of science degree in clinical psychology from Northwestern State University, graduating in 1992.

Amy Huckabee was a Springhill, La., native and graduated from Springhill High in 1993. She graduated from Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia with a degree in elementary education in 1997 and was an Arkadelphia school teacher.

Read more on this story at MagnoliaReporter.com.

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