DAPHNE, Ala. (TCD) — A grand jury has returned an indictment against a 22-year-old man who allegedly killed his grandparents, brother, and family friend just hours after bonding out of jail.
AL.com reports Jared Smith-Bracy was charged with four counts of capital murder for the deaths of his brother Jeremy Smith, 27; his grandmother Barbara Smith, 72; his grandfather Leonard Smith, 80; and family friend Sheila Glover, 71.
Smith-Bracy could face the death penalty if he is convicted.
AL.com reports Glover and Barbara Smith were “best friends.”
According to Daphne Police Sgt. Jason Vannoy, on Feb. 23, 2023, at approximately 6 p.m., officers received multiple calls about shots fired at a home in Lake Forest. Upon arrival, they found the four victims deceased. A SWAT team assisted police in searching for Smith-Bracy, who was found hiding in the woods behind the house. He was arrested and taken into custody on charges of capital murder.
Vannoy said Jeremy Smith, Barbara Smith, and Sheila Glover were shot to death outside the home, while Leonard Smith was bludgeoned to death with the pickax in his bedroom. Vannoy believes the grandfather was the last victim killed, and then Smith-Bracy allegedly went outside and beat the other victims even though they had already been shot.
Smith-Bracy had been arrested earlier that day on a charge of criminal mischief because he reportedly damaged a door at the home. He bonded out of jail at 5 p.m., and got a ride back to the house. He allegedly took a gun from the car and immediately started shooting when he got back inside.
He has been in custody at the Baldwin County Jail without bond since his arrest, and he pleaded not guilty due to mental defect or disease at his initial court hearing on Feb. 24, 2023.
Vannoy said the killings appeared to be premeditated.
Smith-Bracy was reportedly “cooperative” and “very polite” in his police interviews following his arrest, but “showed no remorse.”
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