Final guilty plea entered in teen’s murder
By Chris Fortune
The last of three teens charged in the 2023 death of a 15-year-old boy pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the case on Friday.
Jackson Lee Griffith, 19, entered the plea in front of Circuit Court Judge Patrick Robb. He admitted to being involved in the shooting of Carter Smith, whose body was found in the early morning hours of June 15, 2023, near 28th and Commercial streets.
Several people were captured on video arriving to the area and leaving on foot after the shooting. A witness came forward and identified several people involved in the shooting, according to a probable cause statement.
Kaden Wilfong and Teontre Kirby pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in May.
According to court documents, following Smith’s death, police went to Wilfong’s home a few blocks away from the shooting and watched the house. After obtaining a search warrant, police located several guns believed to have been used in the shooting, along with bloody clothing and a bloody bag that had been described by family members as belonging to Smith, a probable cause statement said.
Griffith is scheduled to appear before Robb for a sentencing hearing on Oct. 21 at 1:30 p.m. He is being held without bond and faces 10 to 30 years or life in prison.
