In the spring of 2020, the life of 26-year-old Trevon Marquise Smiley was tragically cut short in Waldorf, Maryland. On the afternoon of April 20th, Smiley was standing outside his apartment on Aldermans Place when he was ambushed and shot multiple times. First responders arrived at the scene to find Smiley with critical injuries. He succumbed to his wounds while being transported to a local hospital.
The brazen daytime shooting did not appear to be a random act of violence, prompting an intensive investigation by the Charles County Sheriff's Office.
Detectives quickly began to piece together the events of that fatal afternoon. Their investigation led them to identify two teenage suspects believed to be responsible for the murder. Investigators determined that 18-year-old Avante Kenneth Tazewell of Accokeek was the individual who shot Smiley. An arrest warrant was promptly issued for him. The investigation also revealed that Tazewell was not alone. Courtney Ann Smith, an 18-year-old from Waldorf, was identified as his accomplice who drove him away from the crime scene and continued to assist him in the days following the murder.
Within ten days of the shooting, law enforcement closed in on the suspects. On April 29, 2020, Courtney Ann Smith was located and arrested in Waldorf with the help of the U.S. Marshals Task Force. She was subsequently charged with being an accessory after the fact to first-degree murder. The following day, on April 30, the alleged shooter, Avante Kenneth Tazewell, turned himself in to authorities at the District III/Waldorf Station. He was charged with first-degree murder and other related offenses, bringing a swift, albeit somber, development to the case of the untimely death of Trevon Marquise Smiley.
