Smith capital murder trial postponed; hearing scheduled for Mar. 27

The trial of the man accused of killing two women on the campus of Texas A&M University-Commerce two years ago is being rescheduled. Jacques Dshawn Smith is charged with capital murder in connection with the shooting deaths of Abbaney Matts and her sister Deja in a university dormitory on Feb. 4, 2020. Deja was an A&M-Commerce student. Her sister Abbaney had reportedly dated Smith prior to the incident. Smith’s trial had been set for Feb. 20. However, Smith’s attorney, Jessica McDonald, has filed a motion to have evidence thrown out. The motion claims that investigators violated Smith’s Fifth Amendment rights during their interrogation and says that Smith is intellectually disabled. 196th District Court Judge Andrew Bench has set a review hearing for March 27. Smith is also facing a capital murder charge in connection with a 2019 death in Denton County as well as charges of aggravated robbery and evading arrest in Dallas County. He has pled not guilty to the other charges.