In the early morning hours of December 1, 2020, in Shreveport, Louisiana, a tragic event unfolded that would cut short the life of 37-year-old Travis Smiley. Just before 1 a.m., law enforcement officers were dispatched to a residence on Colquitt Road following reports of a shooting. Upon their arrival, they discovered Smiley outside the home, suffering from a fatal gunshot wound to his upper body.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Shreveport Police Department's homicide investigators immediately began the task of piecing together the events that led to Smiley's death. Their investigation soon pointed to 35-year-old Shonda Walker as a primary suspect. A warrant was issued for her arrest, charging her with one count of second-degree murder. The search for Walker extended beyond Louisiana, and she was eventually located at a motel in Athens, Texas. With the assistance of the Athens Police Department and the U.S. Marshal's Task Force, she was taken into custody. Walker was booked into the Henderson County Jail to await extradition back to Shreveport, with her bond set at $5 million.
The investigation did not end with Walker's arrest. Authorities also implicated another individual, 41-year-old Christopher Barton, in connection with the homicide. He was charged with one count of obstruction of justice and booked into the Shreveport City Jail. Further developments in the case came to light in March 2021, when a Caddo Parish Grand Jury returned indictments against both Shonda Cameron Walker, then 35, and Ricky Ray Rios, 43, on charges of second-degree murder for their alleged roles in the slaying of Travis Smiley.
