One of the three teens who escaped from the Henley-Young-Patton Juvenile Justice Center one month ago has had his capital murder trial postponed.
According to court documents, 16-year-old Robert Earl Smith was scheduled to appear in court on Monday for the death of William Doug Wood in January 2023, but a circuit court judge called for the trial to be moved to 1:00 p.m. on May 20.
Smith was part of a trio accused of breaking out of the youth detention center in the early hours of January 8 before stealing multiple vehicles and shooting an Adams County woman in the neck.
All three teens, which included Smith, 15-year-old Jashon Jones, and 17-year-old Tayshon Holmes, were taken into custody in Adams County several days later. Six months prior, the trio escaped from the same detention center and were captured over the next eight days.
Now, Smith is scheduled to have his status hearing on his first-degree murder charge on March 4. His attorney has until February 29 to submit if Smith will be accepting sentencing recommendations offered by the state.
