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MN Supreme Court denies appeal by Jamal Smith in road rage murder of youth baseball coach
Smith asked the court for a new trial, alleging the district court was biased against him, his defense team was ineffective and the jury was racially unbalanced.
ST PAUL, Minn. — The man convicted of murdering a youth baseball coach in an act of road rage will not get a new trial after the Minnesota Supreme Court denied his appeal.
Jamal Smith was convicted of first-degree murder by a Hennepin County jury and sentenced to life in prison for the shooting death of Jay Boughton, who was returning from a baseball game with his teenage son the night of July 6, 2021, when Smith opened fire on Highway 169 in Plymouth. Prosecutors maintained that Smith was speeding and weaving in and out of traffic, nearly hitting Boughton’s truck. When the baseball coach flipped him off, Smith fatally shot him in the neck.
Smith appealed his conviction and asked for a new trial, alleging:
- The judge who presided over his trial was biased in rulings against him
- His defense team was ineffective and didn’t request a change of venue for the trial
- The jury pool did not reflect the population of Hennepin County, as Black people were under-represented
- The court should not have allowed prosecutors to introduce evidence of Smith’s “prior bad acts”
In writing the court’s majority decision, Justice Margaret Chutich ruled against all aspects of Smith’s appeal, saying he had failed to carry his burden of proving his claims. She concluded that “the only reasonable inference supported by the circumstances proved, when viewed as a whole, is that appellant fired the fatal shot.”
Jamal Smith challenged the legal system even before his trial began. In November of 2021, District Court Judge Nicole Engisch revoked Smith’s phone privileges after prosecutors became aware of “problematic” calls he had made from both the Macon County Jail in Illinois and the Hennepin County Jail. Smith challenged Engisch’s decision and asked that his phone privileges be restored, but was unsuccessful.
In late January 2022, Smith and his defense team asked a judge to throw out the first-degree murder indictment handed down by a grand jury, claiming that prosecutors knowingly allowed witnesses to give “perjured testimony” before the grand jury, and failed to present evidence that raises questions about whether Smith was the actual shooter. The indictment was upheld.
Then in February, Smith complained in a long and rambling statement during a Zoom court hearing that being held in segregation at the Hennepin County Jail amounted to “cruel and unusual” punishment. Smith told Judge Engisch he should be allowed to use recreational facilities, watch TV, read newspapers and have video visits with loved ones per week like other prisoners at the jail. He accused jail staff of tampering with his mail and being aggressive and cruel towards him, treating him as “a lowlife who deserves to die.”
Smith is currently incarcerated at the Minnesota Correctional Facility at Rush City. He received a mandatory life sentence for the first-degree murder conviction, but could one day be eligible for parole.
MINNEAPOLIS — How much do you know about your grandma’s upbringing?
“The Stories From My Grandmother’s Hands” is a book that aims to show young Black children how their grandmas lived through beautiful illustrations and descriptions.
KARE 11 News at Noon shared more on Thursday about the impact that this book will have.
Gary Peterson and his friends are collecting donations to help people in their community.
ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. — A St. Louis Park pumpkin display is raising money for their local food shelf.
Gary Peterson started carving and painting three pumpkins over a decade ago. It’s now grown to over 100.
“I’ve heard people say they’ve come from Hutchinson,” he said.
Peterson along with two of his neighbors have spent the last 14 years growing their display, turning it into a neighborhood event.
“It’s been incredible, I just can’t believe how much this has expanded,” he said. “We did it just because we like to and then people were asking to give us money to cover the cost.”
The trio refused to take people’s money, but then one of them had an idea.
“My neighbor, Steve Leensvaart, just mentioned how about we just do it for the STEP program and the STEP program is our local food shelf in St. Louis Park,” he said.
So, they started to collect donations to help families in need. They’ve raised hundreds of dollars and donated hundreds of pounds of food over the last few years, carving for a cause.
“It is more gratifying every year,” Peterson said.
He estimated they have over 100 unique pumpkins in their yard. They’ve created the displays and come up with new family-friendly concepts for people to enjoy. Peterson said about 30 of their neighbors carved their own pumpkins to be put on display, and it’s been a big hit.
“It’s great. In the last couple of years, it’s turned into more of a neighborhood event,” said Sarah Durch.
“We love this Halloween display, we come every year to see it. We love that the whole community gets involved to craft and carve the pumpkins,” said Jami Gordon-Smith.
“The shading and the details are unbelievable,” said Elizabeth Hanson.
Hanson hopes to take her 2-year-old son trick or treating for the first time but is worried the cold temperatures might keep them indoors.
“We’re going trick or treating hopefully,” she said. “He’s going to be a firefighter, but we’re probably going to have sweatshirts maybe like two pairs of sweatpants underneath. We’re going to be bundled up.”
Gordon-Smith said her family will be out Halloween night no matter the weather.
“Halloween only comes once a year, so you really have to take advantage and enjoy the evening no matter what the weather brings,” she said. “Guess it’s not totally unheard of in Minnesota to have a cold Halloween, but we are going to try and modify and do a lot of layers underneath our costumes and then we might add some hats and maybe some warmer socks.”
Durch also isn’t surprised they’re in for another chilly night.
“Well, what would Halloween be without Minnesota cold? I feel like every time you plan a costume you have to plan for how you can make this work if it’s snowing,” she said.
Peterson said they will have a bonfire and some hot chocolate and cider on Halloween to keep trick-or-treaters warm while they look at their pumpkins.
Click here to learn where you can see the pumpkins and how you can donate.
Jeremy Jourdain was 17 when he was last seen on Halloween 2016.
BEMIDJI, Minn. — The search for Jeremy Jourdain, who was last seen on Halloween in 2016, continues now eight years later.
Jourdain was last seen at a family member’s house in Bemidji, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior Indian Affairs. He left the residence near the 500 block of Wood Avenue after midnight and while people followed him, no one was able to find him.
Jourdain was 17 at the time.
Officials said he was wearing a blue and grey sweatshirt, and blue jeans when last seen. He is Native American and is described as 6 foot 5 and 175 pounds.
If you have any information on his whereabouts, you can contact the Bemidji Police Department at (218) 333-9111. Tips can also be sent to 1-833-560-2065, or you can email ojs_mmu@bia.gov.
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