In the late afternoon of August 7, 2023, a tragedy unfolded in a west Tulsa neighborhood that would cut short the life of 30-year-old Kori Shaver, a Black female. Police responded to a call around 5:30 p.m. near West 48th Street and South 33rd West Avenue, where they discovered Shaver in the back seat of a running car with a gunshot wound to her head.
Paramedics rushed her to the hospital, but her injuries proved fatal.
The initial call to police came from a man who claimed to have found Shaver already shot. That man, later identified as Kortney Smith, was taken in for questioning. However, his story quickly began to unravel as detectives investigated the scene. Surveillance footage and other evidence contradicted his account, pointing to a more sinister involvement. Investigators soon identified Kortney and his brother, Julian Smith, as the primary suspects in Shaver's death.
According to the investigation, both brothers had been with Shaver in the car earlier that day. Authorities allege that after Kortney went into a nearby house, Julian, who was in the passenger seat, turned and shot Shaver. Investigators believe Kortney then helped his brother escape the scene before moving the car with Shaver still inside and calling 911 to report that he had found her.
Within days, arrest warrants were issued for the Smith brothers. Kortney Smith was apprehended on August 11, 2023. His brother, Julian Smith, remained at large for several weeks, prompting a manhunt that extended beyond Oklahoma. On September 11, 2023, U.S. Marshals located and arrested Julian Smith in El Paso, Texas. He was subsequently extradited back to Tulsa, where he was charged with first-degree murder for the death of Kori Shaver. Kortney Smith faced a charge of accessory to murder for his role in the crime.
