A man accused in Cleveland's 2017 killing of a 19-year-old was found dead Monday, just months after prosecutors indicted him and he allegedly went on the run. Terrance Carnegie had been charged with murder and aggravated robbery in the death of Travonta Smith.
Cleveland.com reported that the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office confirmed Carnegie was the man facing charges in Smith's killing. The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office said Carnegie died at a house on East 246th Street in Euclid, though officials have not released a cause of death.
2017 Cleveland Killing Put Case Back In Spotlight
Smith, a Painesville resident, was killed on January 27, 2017, after being robbed and shot in the head, according to Cleveland 19 News. His body was dumped in the driveway of a North Collinwood home, where investigators initially searched for suspects and a vehicle connected to the shooting.
A Cuyahoga County grand jury indicted Carnegie in April on charges including murder and aggravated robbery, nearly a decade after Smith's death. Prosecutors said Carnegie had gone into hiding after the indictment, while another man charged in the case faced aggravated murder allegations before being released after those charges were dropped, Cleveland.com reported.
Carnegie Had Recently Finished Prison Sentence
Carnegie had completed a four-year prison sentence earlier in 2026 and had also faced a separate Cuyahoga County case involving allegations that he attacked a pregnant woman. In a 2024 opinion, the Ohio Eighth District Court of Appeals described an indictment charging him with attempted murder, kidnapping, felonious assault, domestic violence and having weapons while under disability.
