By Ray King
Formal charges have been filed against a Pine Bluff couple accused of shooting one man to death and wounding a second in April.
Prosecuting Attorney S. Kyle Hunter charged Deric Smith, 34, and Lamiesha Toney, 23, with capital murder and first-degree battery stemming from the death of Emmanuel Foster and injuries to Jason Anderson.
Foster and Anderson were found after officers were sent to the 1700 block of South Cedar Street on April 24 in reference to a man being thrown out of a vehicle who had also reportedly been shot. When they arrived, they found a Lincoln Towncar that had crashed into a house at the corner of South Plum Street and several people around Foster trying to give him CPR. He was pronounced dead at the scene of a gunshot wound to the back of the head.
Anderson, who had been thrown out of the vehicle was taken to Jefferson Regional by ambulance, Witnesses at the scene told police they saw a black male and black female, later identified as Smith and Toney run from the scene.
Detective Corey Wilfong reported that when Anderson was interviewed, he said “Scrap” had shot him. “Scrap Gee” is a street name Smith is known by. A witness who was interviewed said she saw a white car swerving in front of her and saw a male being thrown from the front passenger seat and said the male was bleeding heavily from his face. The witness also said the male said “Scrap” was the one who shot him.
At about 7 p.m., Smith and Toney turned themselves in to police after being driven to the Detective Office by Smith’s mother. She told Wilfong that Smith had called her and asked that she pick him up and said Smith and Toney told her they had “shot J-Bo and his friend.” Smith’s mother told them they had to turn themselves in and told Wilfong that the gun that was used was in a paper sack in her vehicle. After she signed a consent to search form, Officers found a black Ruger nine-millimeter handgun in a white grocery sack.
When Toney was interviewed, she said the front seat passenger turned around and punched her for no reason and her boyfriend, Smith, began fighting with the passenger. She said she reached for her gun but it fell to the floorboard under the front passenger seat. She said both she and the front seat passenger reached for the gun and she got it and shot the front seat passenger and driver of the car. She also said when the car wrecked, she did not know what to do so she walked away.
Wilfong reported that he told her if she had shot the gun, there should be gun residue on her hands and said she got quiet and looked scared, then asked for an attorney. When Smith was interviewed, he acknowledged that he understood his rights and asked for an attorney.
Smith and Toney will be held without bond and the case was assigned to First Division Circuit Judge Alex Guynn. Both said they would hire their own attorneys.
