On Feb. 7, in the Alexandria Circuit Court, Dallas Jermaine Smith, a 32-year-old Alexandria resident, pleaded guilty to a two-count indictment alleging murder in the first degree and use of a firearm in the commission of murder in connection with the death of Smith’s grandfather, 84-year old Jerry Scott.
The investigation showed that in the early morning hours of July 22, 2018, Smith broke into his grandfather’s residence on East Reed Avenue in the Lynhaven neighborhood of the City. Smith was apparently angry because he had previously lived in the home with his grandfather and had been evicted from the premises about a month before the murder.
Smith entered through a basement door, forced an interior door open and found the victim in bed. Smith fired at the victim six times with a 9mm handgun, hitting him three times. Smith then attacked the victim with a bladed weapon, causing significant upper-body trauma to the victim while he was still alive. The victim soon died from his wounds.
Smith, a convicted felon, had been prevented from legally purchasing firearms since 2009. Investigation revealed that Smith avoided this prohibition by purchasing the component pieces of a 9mm semi-automatic pistol from the internet and then assembling the pieces into a working firearm.
The sentencing hearing in the case will be held on May 23. The maximum penalty for murder in the first degree is life in the penitentiary and a fine of not more than $100,000. The maximum penalty for use of a firearm in the commission of murder is three years in prison. There is no parole in Virginia.
The defendant is incarcerated in the Alexandria Adult Detention Center awaiting sentencing.