Road rage killer fails to overturn conviction for murdering Minnesota dad in front of teenage son by claiming jury wasn't black enough

A driver who changeable dormant a younker shot coach successful a roadworthy rage road onslaught has been denied an entreaty aft claiming nan assemblage was excessively white.

Jamal Lindsey Smith, 36, was jailed for life successful 2022 for first-degree execution aft killing Jay Boughton pinch a azygous slug in Plymouth, Minnesota, connected July 6, 2021.

He was caught aft a two-month investigation erstwhile detectives recovered a Facebook video he posted of himself flashing a weapon wrong a car matching nan fishy vehicle.

Smith defense claimed astatine proceedings that he couldn't person accurately shot Boughton successful nan caput and cervix while driving, and implied it was a rider who fired.

He continued arguing prosecutors 'presented insufficient grounds to beryllium that he fired nan changeable that killed Boughton' successful his appeal.

But he besides claimed location were not capable achromatic group successful nan jury, and nan judge denied his objections to nan deficiency of diversity. 

The Minnesota Supreme Court connected Wednesday threw retired each his appeals and upheld nan life condemnation he is serving acold shape his autochthonal Chicago.

'Because Smith grounded to transportation his load connected each of nan caller proceedings claims and because nan only reasonable conclusion supported by nan circumstances proved - erstwhile viewed arsenic a full - is that Smith fired nan fatal shot, we affirm nan judgement of convictions,' nan tribunal wrote successful its judgement.

However, nan justices noted deficiency of diverseness successful assemblage pools was a morganatic problem, and asked nan Minnesota legislature to summation juror payments from $20 to $100 a day.

'Ensuring that group of colour service arsenic jurors is basal to nan adjacent solution of cases and to nan public's spot successful our ineligible system,' they wrote.

The tribunal noted that erstwhile nan rumor wasn't acknowledged and addressed, 'that nonaccomplishment becomes systematic removal astatine immoderate point'.

Boughton, a coach for the Armstrong Cooper Youth Baseball Association, was driving location connected US 169 pinch his boy Harrison, 16, aft a game.

Harrison testified that Harris' rented Chevy Suburban was 'driving fast, getting adjacent capable to make america swerve retired of nan way' alongside them.

He said his begetter beeped his horn and 'flipped off' nan driver, past seconds later heard solid breaking and saw a spread successful nan window.

Boughton's car, pinch him slumped astatine nan wheel, collapsed done a obstruction into a parking batch of an flat block. Harrisons called 911 and gave him CPR.

Police recovered nan abandoned Suburban and video of nan cars driving side-by-side connected nan highway, but struggled for weeks to place nan driver.

Finally, they recovered nan driver of nan fishy SUV connected CCTV astatine a petrol position and identified him arsenic Smith.

Then they looked him up connected societal media and recovered a video showing him flashing rate and a weapon successful what appeared to beryllium nan aforesaid car, pinch 2 passengers.

The Springfield Armory XD exemplary .45 caliber semiautomatic Smith was waving astir matched nan slug that killed Boughton.

Smith was arrested successful Decatur, Illinois, connected August 321, 2021, and charged pinch first-degree murder, among different crimes.  

'This was genuinely a needle successful a haystack,' Plymouth Police Chief Erik Fadden said astatine nan time, saying it took 1,500 hours of activity to ace nan case.

'Our detectives ne'er stopped digging and moving and knocking connected doors and reviewing video aft video aft video. And yet you get that small break each erstwhile successful a while.'

Smith's past station was: 'Sometimes it's your friends who support your enemies updated astir you... Be careful.' 

After Smith was recovered blameworthy of each charges, a juror told reporters nan assemblage had nary uncertainty he fired nan shot, but deliberated astir whether he meant to kill.

'The suspect was driving 60 to 70mph down nan highway, successful nan dark, successful a rainstorm,' they said astatine nan time.

'In bid to sprout astatine nan victim, he had to power his vehicle. He had to scope crossed his passenger. Somehow nan model was rolled down, and he changeable astatine nan victim. I mean, that takes a lot. 

'It wasn't conscionable a happenstance. Things he did preceded nan shooting that indicated to america that he intended to do this.'

Smith's destiny was sealed erstwhile jurors were shown a video of Smith and his friends successful a jovial temper conscionable hours aft nan shooting, erstwhile they went to a barroom and drank heavily.

"One juror saw that video again and flipped [their vote]. If it was an accidental shooting, really could he person been celebrating?' the juror said.