In the summer of 2017, on the evening of July 2nd, 24-year-old Dionay Smith was found deceased in his Baltimore, Maryland apartment located in the 1400 block of Argyle Avenue. An investigation revealed he had sustained a fatal gunshot wound. The case drew significant attention as Dionay, known to his loved ones as Dion, was the younger brother of T.J. Smith, who at the time served as a prominent spokesman for the Baltimore Police Department.
Dionay was a father to three young children and was described by his family as a hardworking man who held two jobs and was not involved in street life.
The investigation into the death of the male victim quickly focused on a suspect captured on surveillance footage in the hallway of the apartment building. The video showed a man, later identified as 21-year-old Terrell Gibson, pacing in the hallway with a pistol grip shotgun. He was seen concealing the weapon and later running towards the front of Smith's apartment before fleeing the scene. This crucial piece of evidence, along with witness testimony, led to the swift identification and arrest of Gibson on July 6, 2017.
Terrell Gibson was charged with first and second-degree murder, as well as other offenses, in connection with Dionay Smith's death. In September of the following year, a jury found Gibson guilty of first-degree murder and the use of a firearm in the commission of a crime of violence. Throughout the legal proceedings, Gibson maintained his innocence, though the evidence presented in court, particularly the surveillance footage, proved compelling. In February 2019, Terrell Gibson was sentenced to life in prison, with all but 65 years suspended, in addition to a consecutive 15-year sentence for the firearm offense, with the first five years to be served without the possibility of parole.
