A New Orleans woman has admitted to causing the December 2024 crash that killed two 17-year-old girls, bringing a painful case closer to closure for grieving families who have been demanding answers for months.
On Friday, Joneaka Smooth pleaded guilty to four counts, including two counts of manslaughter, in connection with the deadly wreck that followed a brief police pursuit tied to a shoplifting call at Lakeside Mall. The chase ended when the SUV she was in slammed into a Toyota Camry on the I-610 off-ramp to St. Bernard Avenue. Sentencing is set for June, according to WDSU, and families of the victims are now preparing for an emotional day in court.
Court documents show Smooth also entered guilty pleas to charges tied to negligent injury, hit-and-run and flight from an officer as part of the agreement, WDSU reported.
How the crash unfolded
Jefferson Parish deputies say the chain of events started when an off-duty deputy spotted a red Mercedes SUV leaving Lakeside Mall and radioed on-duty units as it headed onto I-10 East. Investigators say a pursuit was initiated around 7:33 p.m., but it lasted less than a minute before a supervisor called it off.
Moments later, the Mercedes failed to make the turn at the I-610 exit to St. Bernard Avenue. The vehicle allegedly crossed multiple lanes, hit a median and went airborne before crashing into a 2022 Toyota Camry, according to a timeline detailed by FOX 8. What began as a shoplifting response had, in under a minute, turned into a fatal collision.
Victims and arrests
The Orleans Parish Coroner identified the teens killed in the crash as 17-year-olds Gisselle Smith and Semaj Morris, both students at West Jefferson High School. One died at the scene and the other later at a hospital. A third passenger in the Camry survived with injuries.
Authorities say passengers in the Mercedes ran from the wreckage. One of them, 37-year-old Lisa Herring, was detained and booked on shoplifting charges, while Smooth later turned herself in to authorities, according to WDSU.
Aftermath and community response
The crash quickly became a flashpoint on the West Bank and beyond. Vigils were held for Smith and Morris, and Jefferson Parish Schools brought in counselors to support shaken classmates and staff.
Relatives and community members publicly questioned whether a short pursuit over alleged shoplifting should have been allowed to cross parish lines, a controversy outlined by FOX 8. For more background on the initial crash and its immediate fallout, see Hoodline’s earlier report, fatal crash after Lakeside Mall chase.
Smooth will return to court in June for sentencing, when a judge will weigh the plea deal alongside victim-impact statements. Prosecutors and defense attorneys have not publicly commented, leaving court records and local reporting as the main window into a case that has rattled families, a school community and two parishes.
