In September of 2016, 41-year-old Terrel Smith, a Black / African American man, was reported missing by his girlfriend. Two days later, on September 11, a woman out for a walk discovered his body in the passenger seat of an SUV parked in the 6100 block of Martin Luther King Boulevard in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Investigators from the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office determined that Smith had been shot multiple times.
The investigation into Smith's death quickly led authorities to four suspects:
Gary Wayne Wilson, Anthony Edgar Minnifield, Michael Lee Bossert, and Herschell Noria Boyd. Detectives were able to connect the men to the crime by tracing Smith's cell phone records. During questioning, one of the suspects admitted to their involvement in a plan to lure Smith to a residence on East 61st Street North.
According to the confession, once Smith arrived at the house, Gary Wayne Wilson shot him at close range with a shotgun. After the murder, the suspects attempted to conceal their crime. They hid the weapon on the property and initially moved the SUV with Smith's body inside to a barn. The following night, they relocated the vehicle to the location where it was ultimately discovered.
All four men were subsequently arrested and charged with first-degree murder. Gary Wayne Wilson was later found guilty for his role in the killing of Terrel Smith. The other three men, Anthony Minnifield, Michael Bossert, and Herschell Boyd, were also set to face trial for their alleged involvement in the murder.
