A grand jury in Alabama has indicted Jared Tarant Smith-Bracy on four counts of capital murder for the deaths of his grandparents, his brother, and a family friend in 2023.
The 22-year-old from Bay Minette was indicted by a Mobile County Grand Jury on Friday, as reported by al.com.
According to police, Smith-Bracy is accused of fatally shooting his 72-year-old grandmother, Barbara Smith; his 27-year-old brother, Jeremy Smith; and 71-year-old family friend, Sheila Glover.
Their bodies were discovered on February 23, 2023, in the backyard of his grandparents’ home in Daphne.
Additionally, he allegedly used a pickaxe to kill his 80-year-old grandfather, Lenard Smith, in a bedroom inside the house.
At his arraignment in February 2023, Smith-Bracy pleaded not guilty by reason of mental defect, leading to a court-ordered mental evaluation in February of this year.
The motive behind the killings has not been disclosed.
On the day of the murders, Smith-Bracy was initially arrested for criminal mischief after allegedly damaging a door at the family home, prompting a police call.
After bonding out of jail, a friend drove him back to the house, where he used the friend’s gun to kill three of the victims.
The driver, whose identity has not been revealed, called 911 after hearing the gunshots and went straight to a police station.
With the formal indictment, Smith-Bracy remains held without bond as the case proceeds. If convicted, he could face the death penalty.
