NLR killer gets 30- year prison term

HOT SPRINGS — A North Little Rock man originally charged with capital murder in the 2015 shooting death of a Hot Springs man was sentenced to 30 years in prison last week after pleading guilty to a reduced charge in Garland County Circuit Court.

Ocoriye Deonte Wallace, 22, was scheduled to stand trial today on capital murder but agreed to plead guilty to second- degree murder and be sentenced to the maximum of 30 years in the death of 31- yearold Roy Dell Smith.

Chief Deputy Prosecutor Joe Graham said he had consulted with Smith’s grandmother, “his closest kin,” and she had authorized the plea offer being made to Wallace.

Graham said he couldn’t comment further because a gag order limiting publicity was issued by Judge Marcia Hearnsberger on Nov. 20, 2015. The order remains in effect because two others are charged in the case. The cases of Kameon Dreshawn Parker, 18, and Abriauna Simone Bell, 24, both of Little Rock, are still pending in circuit court.

Parker, 17, at the time of the shooting, is charged with capital murder, and Bell faces a felony count of hindering apprehension. Parker was charged as an adult, but his attorney has since appealed that ruling.

According to the affidavit for Wallace, on Sept. 24, 2015, shortly before 1: 30 p. m., Hot Springs police found Smith lying unresponsive in an apartment building hallway with a gunshot wound in his torso. He was transported to CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs, where he was pronounced dead.

Officers found a second person, Terry Elijah Crump, 20, of Hot Springs, who had also been shot. He had a minor gunshot wound on his left hand.

Officers spoke to a male resident who told them that a man, later identified as Wallace, had gone there to sell a gun to Crump. The resident left the living room but heard a commotion moments later and returned to see Wallace and Crump wrestling over the gun.

The resident said Wallace gained control of the gun, shot Crump and began shooting at the resident before turning and shooting Smith, according to the affidavit. Wallace then advanced toward the resident briefly before fleeing, the affidavit said.

A second male resident who witnessed the shooting told police he saw Crump and Wallace fighting, so he went to his bedroom to get a weapon. He said he heard gunshots and when he emerged from his bedroom he saw Smith lying in the hallway and Wallace running out the front door.

Crump was questioned later and said that during the altercation with Wallace, a second black male, later identified as Parker, kicked in the front door and began shooting before also fleeing, according to authorities.

Wallace was transported to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock.

Detectives said they learned that Crump, a prior acquaintance of Wallace, had agreed to buy an AR- style rifle from him and Wallace had agreed to bring it there.