[Archived] Murder Defendant Sentenced to Serve 66 Years in Prison

For Immediate Release: May 23, 2019

On May 23, 2019, in the Alexandria Circuit Court, Dallas Jermaine Smith, a 32-year-old Alexandria resident, was sentenced to serve 66 years and 6 months of active incarceration upon his convictions for Murder in the First Degree and Use of a Firearm in the Commission of Murder in connection with the death of his grandfather, 84-year old Jerry Scott.

The investigation showed that in the early morning hours of July 22, 2018, Smith broke into his grandfather’s residence on East Reed Avenue in the Lynhaven neighborhood of the City. Smith was apparently angry because he had previously lived in the home with his grandfather and had been evicted from the premises about a month before the murder.

Smith entered through a basement door, forced an interior door open and found the victim in bed. Smith fired at the victim 6 times with a 9mm handgun, hitting him three times. Smith then attacked the victim with a bladed weapon, causing significant upper-body trauma to the victim while he was still alive. The victim soon succumbed to his wounds.

Smith, a convicted felon, had been prevented from legally purchasing firearms since 2009. Investigation revealed that Smith avoided this prohibition by purchasing the component pieces of a 9mm semi-automatic pistol from the internet and then assembling the pieces into a working firearm.

The defendant was sentenced to a total of 103 years of incarceration in the Virginia Department of Corrections, with all but 66 years and 6 months of that sentence suspended. There is no parole in Virginia. If released, the defendant will be on supervised probation for the rest of his natural life and must pay restitution for the victim’s funeral.

Commonwealth’s Attorney Bryan L. Porter and Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Joseph Martin prosecuted the matter on the behalf of the Commonwealth. The case was thoroughly investigated by Detectives Brad Cecchetti, Matthew Kramarik and Ryan Clinch of the Alexandria Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Section.

The defendant is incarcerated in the Alexandria Adult Detention Center awaiting sentencing. A copy of the statement of facts proffered by the Commonwealth is linked to this release.