DALLAS, Texas (KTHV) - A former University of Arkansas Pine Bluff student could be charged with the death penalty stemming from a triple murder at a drug house in Dallas in 2014.
Once an aspiring rapper, 24-year-old Justin Pharez Smith is now a convicted killer after a jury found him guilty of killing three people and injuring two others, according to The Dallas Morning News.
On August 2, 2014, Smith arrived at a noted drug house and killed 21-year-old Tyteanna Brown, 36-year-old Kimberely Montgomery, and 37-year-old Demarcus Walton. Special prosecutors in the capital murder trial argued that Smith murdered them because he was in need of money.
While attending UAPB, the Pine Bluff native was involved in a college mentorship program. Prosecutors say somewhere down the line Smith became a different person, getting involved with selling drugs.
"He thought he'd come to Dallas on the dope game," said prosecutor Kobby Warren. "The problem was he sucked. He was a terrible drug dealer."
The two victims who did not die during the shooting identified Smith for homicide detectives. When he was arrested, Smith claimed there was a shootout and confessed to shooting at least one woman.
The penalty phase in his case opens Monday, where prosecutor will seek the death penalty for Smith.
