After about 16 hours of deliberation, a jury has found Jamal Smith guilty on all charges. On Monday, both sides rested in the trial and the case was handed to the jury the following day for deliberation after closing arguments.
Smith was charged with first and second-degree murder for the death of youth baseball coach Jay Boughton who was shot and killed in July 2021 while driving on the highway.
Prosecutors have argued the shooting on Highway 169 was a case of road rage with Smith pulling the trigger of the gun that claimed Boughton’s life.
On the day of the incident, Smith was accused of driving erratically and swerving into Boughton’s lane on the rainy day at around 10 p.m. It is then believed that Boughton honked his horn and gave Smith the middle finger.
Boughton was then shot in the head with his son sitting in their pickup truck next to him. He was transported to an area hospital, where he died. He was 56.
On Monday, Smith took the stand for 45 minutes of testimony in his own defense. While being walked through the events of July 6, 2021, Smith admitted to driving the car that was involved in the fatal encounter with Boughton, but he claims he did not pull the trigger.
He was the only witness called in his defense.
Smith testified that the person that was sitting in the back of the SUV, Brandon Smothers, was the one who fired the gun. However, Smothers was not charged in the case and did not testify.
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