On a cold November evening in Buffalo, New York, 19-year-old Charles B. Myles, a Black male, was working at the Super-Stop Food Mart at the corner of Kensington and Thatcher Avenues when his life was tragically cut short. On November 29, 2010, the young man was shot and killed in what authorities would later describe as a violent bid for gang affiliation.
For several years, the case remained without a public resolution. Then, in September 2014, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced a significant development. A federal grand jury indicted Tre Smitherman, who was 21 at the time of the indictment but only 17 when the crime was committed, for the murder of Charles Myles-Jones. The indictment charged Smitherman with murder in aid of a racketeering enterprise and using a firearm in furtherance of that crime.
According to prosecutors, Smitherman's alleged motive was to gain membership into the notorious "Bailey Boys" gang, a criminal organization known for its involvement in drug trafficking and violent crimes in a specific area of Buffalo. The indictment alleged that Smitherman shot and killed Myles to prove his worth to the gang. The case against Smitherman was a result of a joint investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Buffalo Police Department.
Initially charged as a juvenile, the seriousness of the crime led to Smitherman's prosecution being transferred to adult status. The indictment was part of a larger federal crackdown on the Bailey Boys gang, which saw multiple members indicted for a range of violent crimes and drug-related offenses. While there is public record of a 2014 felony conviction for Tre Smitherman in New York State Court, the specific outcome of the federal murder charge remains publicly undisclosed. Subsequent information indicates that in 2025, Smitherman was arrested on unrelated federal charges of drug distribution and firearm possession.
