A Clark County jury on Thursday convicted Aaron Ingram of first-degree murder and multiple weapons and robbery charges in the killing of 28-year-old Jemonte Smith, after Ingram opted to represent himself at trial. Jurors needed less than two hours of deliberation to reach their decision. Prosecutors told the court the shooting happened during what they described as a marijuana sale in east Las Vegas.
Verdict And Charges
The jury found Ingram guilty of first-degree murder with a deadly weapon, battery with a deadly weapon resulting in substantial bodily harm, discharging a firearm at or into an occupied structure or vehicle, robbery with a deadly weapon and burglary in possession of a firearm. Jurors acquitted him of an additional count of attempted robbery with a deadly weapon, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The outlet reported that the panel returned its guilty verdict in under two hours.
Scene And Victim
Police said Smith was found at a business in the 3000 block of Contract Avenue near Charleston and Eastern boulevards, a spot authorities described as a clothing store and recording studio that sold marijuana out the back. The Clark County coroner identified the victim as 28-year-old Jemonte Smith, according to earlier reporting by KTNV.
Prosecutors' Statement And Defendant's Claim
Chief Deputy District Attorney Elizabeth Mercer told jurors, "What we are required to do is prove these allegations beyond a reasonable doubt." Ingram, addressing the jury himself, argued that "all these faulty allegations erupted and were being insinuated after a traffic stop, (during) which I was racially profiled, criticized," the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
What's Next
Sentencing has not yet been scheduled. The Clark County District Court is expected to set a date for sentencing and any post-trial motions.
