In the small town of Thayer, Missouri, the evening of April 4, 2019, was shattered by the sound of multiple gunshots emanating from a residence on Adams Street. When law enforcement arrived, they discovered 39-year-old Daniel Carroll, a male resident of Mammoth Spring, suffering from several gunshot wounds. Despite the efforts of first responders to render aid, Carroll succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.
A neighbor reported seeing a white SUV speeding away from the house shortly after the shots were fired.
The investigation into Carroll's death quickly pointed to 25-year-old Kahlil Gregory Omar Smith of Poplar Bluff as the primary suspect. Smith was located and apprehended near Doniphan by Ripley County deputies. According to the Thayer Assistant Police Chief, Smith's girlfriend, who was present at the scene, told investigators she was in the bathroom when she heard the gunshots. Upon exiting, she found Carroll lying on the ground and stated that Smith had fired a handgun in Carroll's direction multiple times.
During questioning, Smith admitted to being at the Thayer residence and claimed he believed Carroll had made sexual advances toward his girlfriend. He also disclosed that he had been smoking methamphetamine on the evening of the shooting. Smith asserted that he had blacked out and could not recall shooting Carroll, though he later conceded that he might have shot at him and missed.
Initially, Kahlil Gregory Smith was charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action, with his bond set at $1 million. In a turn of events before his trial, which was to be held in Butler County after a change of venue, Smith withdrew his initial not-guilty plea. In September 2021, he pleaded guilty to the lesser charges of second-degree murder and armed criminal action. As a result of his plea agreement, Smith was sentenced to 18 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections for each charge, with the sentences to be served concurrently.
