The man accused of killing an A&M-Commerce student and her sister is now facing new charges. Jacques Dshawn Smith has now been charged with two counts of capital murder in connection with the shooting deaths of Abbaney Matts and her sister Deja. Both women were killed 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. The two capital murder charges replaced the single murder charge to reflect the fact that two people were killed.
Hunt County District Attorney Noble Walker told the Greenville Herald Banner that the new indictments should not delay the start of Smith’s trial, set for June 5 in the 196th District Court. Walker’s office has begun issuing subpoenas for prosecution witnesses to testify during the trial.
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. Smith’s attorney, Jessica McDonald, claims that investigators violated Smith’s Fifth Amendment rights during their interrogation and says that Smith is intellectually disabled.