The outcome of the case against the man accused of killing two young women in Commerce will depend, in part, on the results of a hearing scheduled for one week from today. 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.
Next Monday, March 27, a review hearing has been scheduled regarding a motion to have some evidence in the case thrown out. Smith’s attorney, Jessica McDonald, claims that investigators violated Smith’s Fifth Amendment rights during their interrogation and says that Smith is intellectually disabled.
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. The case is being reviewed by Judge Andrew Bench’s 196th District Court in Greenville. Smith’s trial is scheduled to begin June 5.