A Kent County judge sentenced Ateivise Jaquez Smith to 13-40 years in prison on Thursday for the shooting death of Jaquarrie Garrett in a Kentwood hotel. The incident that occurred in March 2023 at the Delta Hotel resulted in Garrett being shot five times. Garrett, who was 22 and hailed from Georgia, had returned to Grand Rapids to celebrate his son's first birthday, according to WOOD TV.
At the sentencing, Garrett's mother and sister expressed their discontent with the court's decision. His mother, Lasayethia Garrett, conveyed her frustration in a statement obtained by WZZM 13, "It's like his life was summer up by the courts, by his past records, by his past wrongdoings, and they just decided that his life was only worth 13 years." She also lamented how her son moved 635 miles away for a better life for his son, only to be gunned down in his hometown.
Judge J. Joseph Rossi cited Smith's age as a factor for the "downward departure" in sentencing. "Twenty-year-old people tend to be impulsive and don't think about long-term consequences," he noted, emphasizing the widespread impact of the crime on the victim's family. Smith, 23, received additional sentences for related charges, including a mandatory two years for a felony firearm conviction, as mentioned in a MLive report.
During the trial, it was revealed that Smith had been identified as part of the 30boyz gang and was involved in a social media confrontation with Garrett before the shooting. The same WOOD TV report disclosed that shell casings from the scene matched a firearm dropped by Smith while fleeing from police in May 2023. Smith did not address the court during his sentencing.
Smith's arrest came after an unrelated pursuit in May 2023, where he inadvertently dropped a Glock handgun later linked to the Delta Hotel homicide. The connection was established after Michigan State Police matched the handgun to shell casings found at the crime scene, as WZZM 13 reported. Following the arrest, Smith was extradited from Chicago to face the charges associated with Garrett's killing.
