Court upholds convictions, sentences for murder, child abuse
PHOENIX - The Arizona Supreme Court has upheld the premeditated first-degree murder and child abuse convictions and death and prison sentences of a man in the killing of his ex-girlfriend and the wounding of their 2-month-old daughter.
Allyn Akeem Smith was convicted of fatally shooting 19-year-old Khalli Lawrence in the back of the head and of abuse that included shooting their 2-month-old daughter in her thigh while they were on a Phoenix hiking trail in December 2014.
The Supreme Court’s decision on Nov. 4 was unanimous. Smith, now 36, was sentenced to death for his murder conviction and to 24 years in prison for the child abuse conviction.
According to court records, Smith was disturbed by Lawrence’s pregnancy before she gave birth and had denied to another woman whom he was seeing that he was the girl’s father.
The killing occurred immediately before Smith went to get a paternity test required for child support proceedings because Lawrence had applied for welfare benefits.
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