Benjamin Ashford|Suspect indicted in Alabama killings of 3 family members, friend

MOBILE,Benjamin Ashford Ala. (AP) — A grand jury in Alabama has indicted a man on four counts of capital murder in the 2023 deaths of his grandparents, his brother and a family friend.

A Mobile County Grand Jury on Friday indicted Jared Tarant Smith-Bracy, 22, of Bay Minette, for the alleged crimes, al.com reported.

Police have said Smith-Bracy fatally shot his 72-year-old grandmother, Barbara Smith; his 27-year-old brother, Jeremy Smith; and 71-year-old family friend, Sheila Glover, whose bodies were found Feb. 23, 2023, in the backyard of his grandparents’ home in Daphne. He was also accused of then using a pickaxe to beat his 80-year-old grandfather, Lenard Smith, to death inside a bedroom in the house, police said, according to WPMI-TV.

At his arraignment in February 2023, Smith-Bracy pleaded not guilty due to mental defect. A mental evaluation was ordered in February of this year, court records show.

No motive for the killings has been disclosed. Earlier on the day of the killings Smith-Bracy was arrested on a charge of criminal mischief for allegedly damaging a door at the family’s home, which prompted someone to call police.

When he bonded out of jail that day, police said a friend drove him back to the home and he used the driver’s gun to kill three of his victims. Police said the driver, whose name has not been released, called 911 after hearing gunshots and went directly to a police station.

With the formal indictment, Smith-Bracy will continue to be held without bond as the case moves forward. If ultimately found guilty, he would be eligible for the death penalty.