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Thread: Jacques Dshawn Smith Sentenced to Life Plus 35 Years in 2020 TX Slaying of Deja Matts and Abbaney Matts

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    Jacques Dshawn Smith Sentenced to Life Plus 35 Years in 2020 TX Slaying of Deja Matts and Abbaney Matts





    Man arrested on capital murder charge in fatal shooting of two women in Texas campus dormitory

    By Trish Choate
    USA TODAY

    COMMERCE, Texas – A man was arrested Tuesday in connection with a double murder that police say appeared to target his ex-girlfriend in a campus dormitory.

    Also killed was a sister of the intended victim. A 2-year-old boy also suffered wounds, school officials at Texas A&M University-Commerce said.

    Police said Jacques Dshawn Smith, 21, was arrested on a charge of capital murder in the shooting deaths Monday of Deja Matts, 19, and Abbaney Matts, 20, at Pride Rock residence hall on the campus in Commerce, about 65 miles northeast of Dallas.

    Officials said Deja Matts, of the Dallas suburb of Garland, was a freshman at the university pursuing a bachelor’s degree in public health.

    Officials said Smith is believed to be the ex-boyfriend of Abbaney Matts. Neither Abbaney Matts nor Smith were students at the school.

    The wounded 2-year-old was Abbaney Matts’ son. The child has been released from the hospital and is being cared for by family, officials said.

    Prior to announcing the arrest of Smith Tuesday afternoon, police had not identified a shooter or said they were seeking a suspect in the shooting. Police had said it appeared to have been “a targeted, isolated event.”

    Police said an arrest warrant for Smith was obtained through the use of surveillance and witness tips. It was unclear where Smith was being held or if he had an attorney.

    The university has canceled classes until Thursday and said counselors are available for students.

    On Tuesday, police released audio of the 911 call they received Monday morning from a student who said she’d returned to her dorm room after class and found a hole in her wall with a nick in her calendar directly across from it.

    “So it looks like something was shot through the wall and hit my calendar. And the wall is like all broken apart,” she said.

    She said she tried to look for an “object” that would have fallen once it hit but she couldn’t find anything.

    In October, two people were killed and a dozen others injured in an off-campus shooting at a homecoming and Halloween party involving Texas A&M-Commerce students.

    https://usatoday.com/story/news/nati...ng/4662160002/
    Last edited by Steven; 06-09-2023 at 06:34 AM.

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    Texas man accused of killing sisters at university also a suspect in Denton homicide

    By Domingo Ramirez Jr.
    Star-Telegram

    A Rowlett man accused in the killing of two sisters in a dorm room at Texas A&M University-Commerce is also a capital murder suspect in a New Year’s Eve slaying in Denton, Denton police said Wednesday.

    Jacques Smith, 21, is one of three men accused in the killing of Steven Daniels on Dec. 31 in Denton.

    Denton police were assisting investigators with the Texas Department of Public Safety with a search warrant on Tuesday on Smith’s home in the 8300 block of Luna Drive in Rowlett. The search was related to the killing Monday of the sisters at Texas A&M University-Commerce.

    During the search of his home on Tuesday, authorities connected Smith and two others to the Denton homicide. Denton police did not provide any details on the evidence.

    Daniels, 22, was killed in the 900 block of Cleveland Street in Denton. He was found in an apartment complex parking lot.

    Along with Smith, Jalin Hargrove, 23, and Earnest Rogers, 26, have been arrested in connection with the Denton homicide. Hargrove, Smith and Rogers face capital murder charges in the case.

    The three are accused of robbing Daniels, taking his handgun and his cell phone, and shooting him, according to arrest warrant affidavits.

    Smith also is a capital murder suspect in the shooting deaths of Deja Matts, a 19-year-old freshman, and Abbaney Matts, her 20-year-old sister, at Texas A&M University-Commerce. The two were found dead Monday in in Pride Rock residence hall.

    The 2-year-old son of Abbaney Matts was injured in the shooting but released to the care of family, officials said. The boy was shot in the leg, WFAA reported.

    Smith was Abbaney Matts’ ex-boyfriend. He had been released from jail on bond after being accused of assaulting her last week.

    Timothy Matts, the sisters’ father, told WFAA that his daughters had just been home for a family birthday party. Abbaney and her son were going to spend the night at the dorm after driving Deja back to school, Matts told the TV station.

    “I think it was a coward move,” Matts told WFAA. “I mean that someone would do something like that. My daughters were fun, uplifting, they had plenty of friends. Nice folks. Know what I’m saying. They took both my daughters.”

    Smith remains in the Hunt County Jail in Greenville.

    Abbaney Matts and Smith weren’t students at the university.

    Deja Matts, who was from Garland, Texas, was pursuing a bachelor’s degree in public health, officials said.

    “Our hearts and prayers go out to the family, friends and students impacted by today’s tragic event,” President Mark Rudin said.

    In a 911 call released by university police, a student told dispatchers she returned to her dorm after class Monday morning to find debris in her room.

    “I walked into my dorm room when I got back from class... and it looked like part of the ceiling had fallen on all of my floor and all over my desk and everything,” the student said. “Then I looked over and there’s a hole through my wall.”

    The student continued describing the scene.

    “It looks like something was shot through the wall and hit my calendar and the wall is all broken apart,” she said.

    https://www.star-telegram.com/news/l...239989568.html

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    Hearing scheduled in double homicide case

    By Brad Keller
    Herald-Banner

    A hearing is scheduled in state district court Monday for a Rowlett man, indicted for capital murder in connection with a reported double homicide in February.

    Jacques Dshawn Smith was indicted in by the Hunt County grand jury April 24 on a charge of capital murder of multiple persons involving the Feb. 4 deaths of Abbaney Matts and her sister Deja on the Texas A&M Unversity-Commerce campus. He has pleaded not guilty.

    A review hearing is scheduled Monday in the 196th District Court. A trial date has not been scheduled. The Hunt County Courthouse remains closed and no jury trials are currently being set due to the ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Smith, 21, remains in custody at the Hunt County Detention Center, being held in lieu of a total of $2 million bond. Smith is also charged with capital murder filed by the Denton Police Department and is also being held in the facility on probation violation warrants on charges of aggravated robbery and evading arrest from Dallas County.

    The capital charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison of death by lethal injection or life in prison without the possibility of parole.

    Smith is being represented by an appointed defense counsel through the West Texas Regional Public Defender for Capital Cases program. The agency has filed multiple sealed motions in the case.

    Smith was taken into custody in Rowlett and is believed to be the ex-boyfriend of Abbaney Matts. An arrest warrant was obtained through the use of surveillance and witness tips.

    The Denton Police Department reported Smith and two other Rowlett residents, Jalin Hargrove, 23, and Earnest Rogers, 26, were charged with capital murder in connection with the death of Steven Daniels on Dec. 31, 2019.

    During the search of the Rowlett residence, evidence was located that connected Smith as well as the two others to the Denton PD case. Denton detectives then applied for a secondary search warrant for the residence.

    Hargrove and Rogers were placed under arrest and transported to the Denton City Jail without incident.

    https://www.heraldbanner.com/news/lo...a76248830.html
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
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    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Judge taking lawsuit in double homicide at Texas A&M-Commerce under advisement

    A state district judge is considering whether to allow an attorney to receive information from Texas A&M-Commerce, to determine if a civil lawsuit against the university can be filed regarding a double homicide in February.

    Meanwhile, the Hunt County District Attorney’s Office has waived the death penalty in the event Jacques Dshawn Smith of Rowlett is found guilty of capital murder in the criminal case connected to the deaths.

    Attorney Larry Taylor filed a petition with the 354th District Court in late September, on behalf of Vanessa Calderon and Timothy Matts, the parents of sisters Deja and Abbaney Matts, who were the victims in the fatal shooting. Abbaney’s 2-year-old son was also injured during the Feb. 4 incident.

    Taylor’s petition was seeking information about the school’s investigation into the shooting, campus security and crime on campus in general.

    The school filed a response about a month later, issuing a general denial and noting the claims raised in the petition came from the actions of Smith, who was indicted by the Hunt County grand jury on April 24 on a charge of capital murder of multiple persons involving the deaths, who had no connection to the university.

    A two-hour hearing was conducted via Zoom with the court Wednesday and on Thursday morning Judge Keli Aiken announced she would be taking the issue under advisement, after which she would issue orders in the case.

    Smith has pleaded not guilty and a trial date has not yet been set in the case with the 196th District Court, but the office of Hunt County District Attorney Noble D. Walker Jr. issued a motion with the court Tuesday, waiving the death penalty if Smith is found guilty, in which case he would be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

    Smith, 21, remains in custody at the Hunt County Detention Center, being held in lieu of a total of $2 million bond. Smith is also charged with capital murder filed by the Denton Police Department and is also being held in the facility on probation violation warrants on charges of aggravated robbery and evading arrest from Dallas County.

    Smith will also be needing a new attorney in the case, as he is currently represented in Hunt County by a defense counsel with the West Texas Regional Public Defender Office, which does not handle capital murder cases where the death penalty is not being sought.

    https://www.heraldbanner.com/news/lo...2ce81c0ef.html
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    Trial in 2020 Hunt County capital murder case postponed again

    By Brad Kellar | Herald-Banner Staff

    For the second time this year, a capital murder trial in connection with a double homicide in February 2020 has been rescheduled.

    The postponement of the case involving Jacques Dshawn Smith of Rowlett was not totally unexpected; it was one of two Hunt County capital murder trials that had been set for the same day.

    Smith is under indictment on a charge of capital murder in connection with the Feb. 4, 2020 deaths of Abbaney Matts and her sister Deja on the Texas A&M University-Commerce campus.

    Smith has pleaded not guilty.

    During a June 13 hearing in the 196th District Court, jury selection, which had been scheduled for Sept. 19, was reset for Dec. 5.

    However, another pending Hunt County capital murder case, which involves two defendants from Rockwall County, had already been scheduled for that day.

    Smith’s trial is now scheduled for February 20, 2023.

    A motion to suppress hearing has also been set for Jan. 6, 2023. As of Monday morning, the motion had not been filed and was unavailable for examination.

    Smith, 23, remains in custody at the Hunt County Detention Center in lieu of $2 million bond.

    Smith is also accused of capital murder by Denton police as well as aggravated robbery and evading arrest from Dallas County.

    Smith was reported to be the ex-boyfriend of Abbaney Matts.

    In a separate case, Denton police allege that Smith and two other Rowlett residents, Jalin Hargrove and Earnest Rogers, committed capital murder in connection with the death of Steven Daniels on Dec. 31, 2019.

    The Hunt County district courts are dealing with a backlog of murder cases that developed during 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    https://www.heraldbanner.com/news/lo...3a0a1.amp.html
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    Motion to suppress evidence filed in Hunt County capital murder case

    By Brad Kellar | Herald-Banner Staff

    The attorney for Jacques Dshawn Smith is seeking to have evidence at his upcoming capital murder trial thrown out, claiming her client’s constitutional rights were violated during the investigation into a double homicide in Commerce almost two years ago.

    In a motion to suppress, defense counsel Jessica McDonald also argued that her client is not mentally competent to stand trial in connection with the Feb. 4, 2020, deaths of Abbaney Matts and her sister Deja on the Texas A&M University-Commerce campus.

    A hearing on McDonald’s motion is scheduled Friday in the 196th District Court. The trial in Smith’s case is scheduled to start Feb. 20.

    Smith, 24, remains in custody at the Hunt County Detention Center. He is being held in lieu of $2 million bond.

    Smith was reported to be the ex-boyfriend of Abbaney Matts.

    Hunt County District Attorney Noble D. Walker Jr. has waived the death penalty if Smith is found guilty, in which case he would be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

    McDonald’s motion claims that investigators interrogating Smith following his Feb. 4, 2020 arrest violated his Miranda Warning under the Fifth Amendment, in part because Smith has an “intellectual disability” that made him unable to understand his rights against potential self-incrimination. McDonald claimed Smith has a “Full Scale IQ of 57.”

    McDonald’s motion argues that any statements made by Smith should be thrown out and not used as evidence should the trial proceed as scheduled.

    The double homicide in Commerce is not the only serious crime for which Smith stands accused.

    The defendant, along with two other men, also is accused of capital murder in Denton County in connection with the death of Steven Daniels on Dec. 31, 2019. Smith also faces Dallas County charges of aggravated robbery and evading arrest. He has pleaded not guilty.

    https://www.heraldbanner.com/news/lo...f001e.amp.html
    Thank you for the adventure - Axol

    Tried so hard and got so far, but in the end it doesn’t even matter - Linkin Park

    Hear me, my chiefs! I am tired. My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever. - Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt

    I’m going to the ghost McDonalds - Garcello

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    New capital murder indictments filed in 2020 double homicide case

    By Brad Kellar
    Herald-Banner Staff

    A second indictment has been filed against a suspect charged with capital murder in a double homicide in Commerce three years ago.

    Hunt County District Attorney Noble D. Walker Jr. said Jacques Dshawn Smith was still facing the same allegations concerning the Feb. 4, 2020, deaths of Abbaney Matts and her sister Deja on the Texas A&M University-Commerce campus. Smith was indicted by the Hunt County grand jury on the charge in April 2020.

    “These are superseding indictments,” Walker said, indicating the indictments issued March 24 take the place of the original indictment. “Now we have one for each of the victims in this case.”

    Walker said the issuance of the new indictments is not expected to delay the start of Smith’s trial, currently scheduled for June 5 in the 196th District Court. Walker’s office has begun issuing subpoenas for prosecution witnesses to testify during the trial.

    Smith’s attotney is seeking to have evidence in his case thrown out, claiming his constitutional rights were violated during the investigation into the murders.

    Defense counsel Jessica McDonald has also argued Smith is not mentally competent to stand trial.

    Smith, 24, has pleaded not guilty and remains in custody at the Hunt County Detention Center. He is being held in lieu of $3 million bond, including $1 million on each of the new indictments.

    Smith is also accused of capital murder by Denton police as well as aggravated robbery and evading arrest from Dallas County. He has pleaded not guilty.

    https://www.heraldbanner.com/news/ne...c2aceb087.html
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
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    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
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    Smith sentenced to life plus 35 years after pleading guilty to 2020 double murder in Commerce

    By Brad Kellar
    The Herald-Banner

    May 18—Guilty pleas were entered and prison sentences handed down today in connection with a double murder in Hunt County.

    Jacques Dshawn Smith of Rowlett was sentenced to life in prison, plus 35 years in prison for the February 2, 2020 murders of Abbaney Nicole Matts and Deja Monica Matts. Smith was additionally charged with the offense of capital murder but was not eligible for the death penalty based upon applicable case law, according to a statement released Thursday afternoon by Hunt County District Attorney Noble D. Walker, Jr.

    "We are grateful that this case was resolved with the defendant receiving very significant prison sentences and that the family will not have to go through the process of a murder trial," Walker said. "The State was prepared to proceed to trial in June. However, the defendant indicated he would agree to plead guilty to two counts of murder with sentences of life in prison plus 35 years in prison and this resolution was accepted by Abbaney and Deja's family as well as the State. Since the sentences will be served consecutively, the defendant will be required to complete his first sentence prior to starting his second sentence."

    Smith's attorney had been seeking to have evidence in the case thrown out, claiming his constitutional rights were violated during the investigation into the murders.

    Defense counsel Jessica McDonald had also argued Smith was not mentally competent to stand trial.

    Dr. Michael Pittman was appointed Wednesday as an expert in mental health.

    The murders occurred on the Texas A&M University-Commerce campus. Smith was reported to be the ex-boyfriend of Abbaney Matts.

    "Assistant District Attorney Jeff Kovach served as lead counsel for the State and did an outstanding job preparing these cases for prosecution," Walker said. "He was aided by the exceptional work of Texas Ranger Chad Matlock as well as Texas A&M University-Commerce Police Chief Bryan Vaughn, Lt. Chad Ballard, and Lt. Glen McCull who were critical in securing the convictions and sentence."

    Smith's is still facing multiple legal problems in other areas of North Texas as he is also accused of capital murder by Denton police as well as aggravated robbery and evading arrest from Dallas County.

    Smith was taken into custody in Rowlett and an arrest warrant was obtained through the use of surveillance and witness tips.

    The Denton Police Department reported Smith and two other Rowlett residents, Jalin Hargrove and Earnest Rogers were charged with capital murder in connection with the death of Steven Daniels on Dec. 31, 2019.

    During the search of the Rowlett residence, evidence was located that connected Smith as well as the two others to the Denton PD case. Denton detectives then applied for a secondary search warrant for the residence. Hargrove and Rogers were placed under arrest and transported to the Denton City Jail without incident.

    https://www.yahoo.com/news/smith-sen...014700446.html
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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