On a summer morning in Alexandria, Virginia, 82-year-old Jerry Scott was found dead in his home on East Reed Avenue. It was July 23, 2018, when police responded to a call and discovered Scott with trauma to his upper body; he was pronounced dead at the scene. The investigation into the death of the elderly man would soon reveal a familial connection to the alleged perpetrator.
In the course of their investigation, authorities identified Jerry Scott's grandson, Dallas Jermaine Smith, as the primary suspect. Smith, who was 32 at the time, had been evicted from his grandfather's home a month prior to the incident, and prosecutors believe this act fueled his anger. Investigators determined that Smith broke into Scott's residence on July 22, 2018, and shot his grandfather while he was in bed. He fired six shots, three of which struck Scott, and then proceeded to attack him with a bladed weapon, causing significant injuries to his upper body.
Dallas Smith was arrested and subsequently indicted by a grand jury in September 2018 on five felony counts: first-degree murder, burglary while armed, two counts of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and possession of a firearm by a felon. As a convicted felon, Smith was legally prohibited from purchasing a gun since 2009. The investigation revealed that he had purchased parts for a 9mm semi-automatic pistol online and assembled the weapon himself.
In February 2019, Dallas Jermaine Smith pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and the use of a firearm in the commission of murder. At the time of his plea, he was being held at the Alexandria Adult Detention Center awaiting sentencing. He faced the possibility of life in prison for the murder charge and an additional three years for the firearm charge.
