Terrence Shatiq Terrell, a 30-year-old African-American male, was tragically killed on November 22, 2018, in Gastonia, North Carolina. The incident occurred during a car theft on Thanksgiving Day. Terrell was found in another man's car, Zaquiel Little's Honda CR-V, just after 8 a.m. on the 800 block of West Seventh Avenue, nearly five hours after a shooting was reported on the 1300 block of West Sunshine Avenue.
Terrell had been shot in the side and was discovered dead in the back seat of the vehicle.
The suspect in the case, Jeremy Austin Smith, a 19-year-old male, had recently been released from prison after serving time for multiple motor vehicle larceny charges. Smith was arrested again in March 2018 for violating his parole and spent eight months in prison. Just 17 days after his release, Smith was named a suspect in the shooting death of Terrence Shatiq Terrell. Smith was charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon resulting in serious injury, armed robbery, and possession of a firearm by a felon.
On November 28, 2018, Gastonia Police apprehended Smith after initially asking for the public's help in locating him. Smith was found to have a prior record level three on a scale from one to six, with six being the most serious. He had previous convictions for two felony charges and two misdemeanors, including larceny and motor vehicle theft.
In August 2020, Jeremy Austin Smith entered an Alford guilty plea to five felony charges, including second-degree murder in the killing of Terrence Shatiq Terrell. An Alford plea allows the defendant to maintain their innocence while acknowledging that the prosecution has enough evidence to secure a conviction. The charges included second-degree murder, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill or inflict serious injury, robbery with a dangerous weapon, possession of a firearm by a felon, and assault on a law enforcement officer inflicting physical injury. In exchange for his guilty plea, the prosecution agreed to dismiss the first-degree murder charge and consolidate all the charges for sentencing.
Superior Court Judge Athena Fox Brooks sentenced Smith to a minimum of 317 months to a maximum of 393 months in prison. Smith was credited with the 451 days he had spent in the Gaston County Jail following his arrest. The assault on a law enforcement officer conviction stemmed from an August 17, 2020, offense when Smith was lodged in the Gaston County Jail.
