Central Texas woman sentenced in deadly ambush of MCC student
GROESBECK, Texas (KWTX) - A Groesbeck woman who helped lure a McLennan Community College student into a robbery that resulted in his shooting death in January 2020 was sentenced to 35 years in prison Thursday.
Willow Region Smith, 20, pleaded guilty to a reduced murder charge and to three counts of aggravated robbery Thursday in the robbery-slaying of 19-year-old Tyler McKinney Jr., whose body was found shot to death in a car in the 4500 block of Cedar Mountain Drive.
Smith and her co-defendant, Delviyonte Dequae Sampson, 21, of Waco, both were indicted on capital murder and aggravated robbery charges in the incident after their arrests a month later in Wichita Falls.
Prosecutors agreed to reduce the capital murder count against Smith and dismissed one aggravated robbery count in exchange for her guilty plea to murder and three counts of aggravated robbery. Judge Susan Kelly of Waco’s 54th State District Court sentenced Smith to 35 years for murder and 20 years in prison on each of the three aggravated robbery counts.
Smith will serve the sentences concurrently and must serve at least half of her 35-year term before she can seek parole.
The charges against Sampson remain pending. He has a Dec. 5 trial setting in Waco’s 19th State District Court.
Police have said they think Smith lured McKinney to the North Waco area so Sampson could rob him. According to records filed in the case, a cell phone found in McKinney’s lap showed he had been in contact with Smith just prior to his death.
A witness told police Smith and Sampson ran from the area after McKinney was shot, an arrest affidavit states. They also were seen cleaning a handgun after the shooting and said “that they had just killed someone,” according to the affidavit.
The pair stole a vehicle in Mexia before fleeing to Wichita Falls, according to court records. Smith told police she contacted McKinney and that Sampson shot him. Sampson admitted shooting McKinney, according to the records.
Sampson also has been indicted in an aggravated robbery that police say he committed three days after McKinney’s shooting death.
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