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A Yellville woman charged with rape alongside her stepfather and his father appears to be searching for land in Oklahoma while out on bond, a move that could violate the conditions of her pretrial release under Arkansas law.
Dezarae Manson, 19, posted in a public Facebook group called “Goats And Livestock Of Oklahoma” on April 11, asking members for “a couple acres of land to rent that allows farm animals.” She wrote that she was looking to relocate “as soon as possible” and that she was “looking to stay by the Arkansas border but open to anything really.”
The Mountain Home Observer confirmed the account belongs to Manson. The same account features photographs of her other children.
A move would likely violate bond conditions
Manson is one of three co-defendants in a Marion County rape case. She faces felony charges of rape, sexual assault in the second degree and coercion, all stemming from alleged abuse at the family’s residence on County Road 8054.
Under Arkansas Rule of Criminal Procedure 9.3, a circuit judge sets the conditions of a defendant’s pretrial release. Those conditions routinely restrict travel outside the state and prohibit a defendant from changing residence without written permission from the court.
Bond revocation and re-arrest are the typical consequences for violating those conditions.
What the Mansons are accused of doing
The case involves two separate victims.
Manson Jr., 35, is accused of raping a child under the age of 14 at the County Road 8054 residence. Court records describe two incidents involving the child.
In the first, prosecutors allege Manson Jr. raped the child on or about Nov. 20, 2025. The child was forensically interviewed at Grandma’s House, a child advocacy center in Mountain Home, where she disclosed the abuse.
In the second, prosecutors allege Manson Jr. held the child and an adult female victim against their will on Dec. 3, 2025, threatening them with a pink camouflage 20-gauge shotgun. He is alleged to have threatened to kill the adult woman with a knife, shoot the child in the head and shoot his father in the chest if anyone tried to leave or report him.
A search warrant executed at the residence the next day recovered the shotgun and three additional firearms. Manson Jr. is a convicted felon prohibited by law from possessing firearms.
Manson Jr. is the only person charged in connection with the rape of the child.
A separate case charges Manson Jr., his father Steven L. Manson, 56, and Dezarae Manson with the rape of an older victim at the same residence. Court records describe that victim as a young adult between the ages of 18 and 19.
On March 7, the older victim walked into the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and reported she had been raped at the County Road 8054 residence after escaping to a neighbor’s home and calling 911.
According to the probable cause affidavit signed March 12 by Criminal Investigator Jarrod D. Poley, Dezarae Manson directed the victim into a shower and shaved her. She then invited Manson Jr. into the room. The victim told investigators Dezarae Manson and Manson Jr. sexually assaulted her in the shower and tried to stop the assault.
The victim was then taken to a bedroom where she was again sexually assaulted and raped, according to the sheriff’s office. She also reported Manson Jr. and Dezarae Manson engaged in sexual intercourse during the incident.
The victim told investigators she tried to leave the residence afterward. Manson Sr. offered her a controlled substance outside and brought her back into the house, according to the sheriff’s office account. She later overheard Manson Sr. and another individual discussing how they could “have their way with her” too.
She fled to a neighbor’s home where 911 was called.
A sexual assault nurse examiner at Baxter Health in Mountain Home documented her injuries, which included internal tearing. She was forensically interviewed at Grandma’s House Children’s Advocacy Center in Mountain Home on March 10, where she confirmed the allegations.
Investigators executed a search warrant at the residence on March 13.
Dezarae Manson and Manson Sr. face charges of rape, sexual assault in the second degree and coercion in connection with that case. Manson Sr. faces additional charges of terroristic threatening and conspiracy. Manson Jr. faces additional charges of rape, incest, sexual assault and coercion as a co-defendant.
The state has filed habitual offender enhancements against Manson Jr. for two or more prior violent felonies in Illinois.
A Class Y felony rape charge carries a sentence of 10 to 40 years or life in prison.
Dezarae Manson’s role
Dezarae Manson is the stepdaughter of Manson Jr. and the daughter of his wife, Amber Manson. Court records and interviews with neighbors and family members in Illinois describe her as a victim of years of grooming by Manson Jr. that began when she was 15 years old.
A McHenry, Illinois, resident who lived across the street from Manson Jr.’s grandmother told the Observer she watched the grooming unfold. The resident provided a photograph of a tattoo of “Steve” on Manson’s chest, posted to TikTok after Manson turned 18.
Manson legally changed her last name from Kennedy to Manson and refers to Manson Jr. as her husband on social media.
She is charged as a co-defendant in the rape of the older victim alongside Manson Jr. and Manson Sr.
Amber Manson’s protective order
Amber Manson, the wife of Manson Jr. and the mother of Dezarae Manson, fled the County Road 8054 residence after the December incident involving the child. Court records identify her as the woman who reported the rape to investigators.
She filed for an order of protection against Manson Jr. earlier this year. A 14th Judicial District judge entered a final order of protection on April 14 that remains in effect until April 13, 2036.
The case was closed the following day.
Amber Manson is not charged in either case. Neighbors and family members have told the Observer she was aware of the relationship between Manson Jr. and her daughter for years before reporting the December assault to authorities.
What’s next in court
All three Manson defendants pleaded not guilty at a March 31 arraignment.
Manson Jr. is scheduled for a pretrial hearing on Sept. 15 and a jury trial on Oct. 7 in Marion County Circuit Court before Judge Andrew S. Bailey.
Manson Sr., 56, and Dezarae Manson are both scheduled to return to court for status hearings on June 23.
All three are represented by Eugene Clifford of Zenith Law in Little Rock.
Deputy Prosecuting Attorney John Russo and Marion County Sheriff Gregg Alexander did not respond to requests for comment. Both offices have repeatedly declined to comment on the case.
