In the early morning hours of March 17, 2015, a discovery was made on Bellefonte Drive in Lexington, Kentucky, that would unravel a story of a young life cut short. Vondre R. Smithers, a 20-year-old male, was found lying in the street, initially believed to have been the victim of a hit-and-run. He was rushed to the University of Kentucky Chandler Hospital, where the grim truth was revealed: he had sustained a single gunshot wound to the head.
His death was officially ruled a homicide.
The investigation into the death of Vondre, described by his family as a loving and caring young man with a constant smile, soon focused on 21-year-old Dustin James Yost of Winchester. Investigators discovered that Smithers had been shot inside Yost's vehicle. According to court documents, the tragic event unfolded during a drug deal between the two men. Yost initially attempted to mislead police, claiming a third person was responsible for the shooting. However, he later admitted to his involvement.
Evidence presented in the case showed that after the shooting, Yost drove away from the scene and attempted to conceal the crime. He stopped to clean the 'biological evidence' from his vehicle and discarded the clothes he had been wearing. Yost also admitted to disposing of the handgun used in the shooting in a rural area outside of Fayette County. Video surveillance captured him getting rid of the evidence.
Dustin James Yost was arrested and initially charged with murder and tampering with physical evidence. In February 2017, he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of second-degree manslaughter, as well as tampering with evidence. In court, Yost stated that an argument had broken out between him and Smithers while they were both under the influence of drugs, which escalated to the fatal shooting. He faced a potential sentence of up to ten years for manslaughter and an additional five years for tampering with evidence.
