From WATE: A McMinn County man is headed to prison for life with no chance for parole in connection with a September 2021 quadruple murder case.
From WATE: A McMinn County man is headed to prison for life with no chance for parole in connection with a September 2021 quadruple murder case.
District Attorney Shari Taylor shared that Curtis Smith pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree murder, two counts of attempted first-degree murder, four counts of felony murder, one count of especially aggravated kidnapping, one count of aggravated arson and one count of possession of a weapon by a convicted felon.
The four murders happened in September 2021 at a home in Riceville. The McMinn County Sheriff’s Office identified the victims as Trevon Hall, 36; Skylar Hawn, 24; Jesse Dupree, 40; and Brandi Harris, 39. Hall’s 10-month-old son was reported missing but was later found safe.
According to the DA, Smith and Jazzmine Hall, who pleaded guilty in April, entered the camper where Hall took the baby at gunpoint. After taking the baby, witnesses said Hall shot her husband, then Smith shot the husband again and three other people in the camper, killing them. Smith left the camper and set it on fire. Smith and Hall were captured by the McMinn County Sheriff’s Office, 10th Judicial Drug Task Force, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Polk County Sheriff’s Office, and U.S. Marshals Service within a few hours.
Smith has been sentenced to four consecutive life sentences without parole. He also received 28 additional years to serve consecutive with his four life sentences.
“This case has been very difficult for the victims’ families and the surviving victims. Today as the remaining defendant entered his plea, they received some justice for the murder of their loved ones at the hands of these defendants,” Tayloe said. “Again, I appreciate the McMinn County Sheriff’s Office, TBI, DTF, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, and the U.S. Marshals Service working together to facilitate the successful prosecution of this case.”
Previously, prosecutors shared that they planned to go for the death penalty. One of the victim’s mothers told WATE that this would be a lose-lose situation. However, following Smith’s plea, prosecutors withdrew the motion.
