The man accused of killing an A&M-Commerce student and her sister has once again pled not guilty. Jacques Dshawn Smith was arraigned April 28 on 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. The Greenville Herald Banner reports 196th District Court Judge Andrew Bench has ordered a competency hearing for Smith. His attorney, Jessica McDonald, claims that investigators violated Smith’s Fifth Amendment rights during their interrogation and says that Smith is intellectually disabled.
Smith’s trial is set to begin on June 5. 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.