Shot Metairie man 3 months after being released from parish jail
By the time Jerel Anthony Smith was charged with the brutal killing of Metairie’s Ryan Dubuc last Wednesday, his police record documented a history of violence, resistance and plea deals.
Armed robbery, drugs and domestic abuse are all in Smith’s criminal history.
Smith, 31, is accused of shooting Dubuc four times in the head at close range last Monday, likely in Dubuc’s own truck, and possibly for as little as $80 cash. It is believed he was given a ride and then committed the homicide shortly after they left Birdie’s gas station in Luling.His criminal record points to anger issues and a violent nature, as well as a series of plea deals that put him back on the street.
At the time of Dubuc’s murder, Smith had been released from Nelson Coleman Correctional Center less than three months earlier. In that time, he was also implicated in the Dec. 29 armed robbery at the same Birdie’s gas station where he encountered Dubuc.
Smith’s extensive criminal history includes pleading guilty to second-degree battery and robbery in St. Charles Parish in August of 2007. The police report says he approached a man walking on Blueberry Hill Road in Boutte and struck him in the head with a stick, causing injuries that sent the victim to the hospital for $60 in cash taken. He reportedly continued to strike the man even as he lay on the ground and fled. Smith initially maintained it was an altercation and then pleaded guilty to armed robbery. He was sentenced to three years in jail, but did not serve time because he was instead put on two years of probation.
At age 18, Smith was charged with one count of simple burglary and auto theft of over $500 in Jefferson Parish in March of 2003, according to court records. Smith pled guilty and got a three-year jail sentence that was reduced to two-year probation.
Two years later, in 2005, Smith pled guilty to a count of misdemeanor theft. He was sentenced to 35 days in parish jail with credit for time served, was banned from the Boutte Walmart and transferred to Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office for additional charges.
In October of 2005, court records show he also was charged with simple battery and got a six-month sentence in parish jail, which was suspended.
He was ordered to stay away from his victim and placed on a year of probation, which he violated at least twice and was held in contempt of court each time.
In December of 2006, Smith was charged with theft under $300, which was reduced to disturbing the peace. He paid $20 restitution to the Sheriff’s Office.
In July of 2012, Smith was charged with one count of distributing drugs near a school in Lafourche Parish. Smith was sentenced to 10 years in prison but was released early due to good behavior.
Again, in August of 2013, Smith pleaded guilty to a charge of disturbing the peace, which got him 10 days in parish jail. The jail time was suspended and he instead got a year of probation. In December of this same year, he got a traffic violation, pled guilty and was held in contempt of court when he failed to pay the fine.
When parish deputies pulled Smith over on Paul Frederick Street in Luling in February of 2014, a background check revealed a warrant for his arrest by the Picayune Police Department in Mississippi for felony shoplifting. It also revealed he was on the sex offender registry for indecent behavior with a minor in another state, was under a protective order that didn’t allow him to have weapons and was “known to abuse drugs.”
Later in 2014, Smith also was charged with violating the protective order he was under and required to enroll in anger management counseling. In July, he was charged with a count each of illegal possession of stolen things and contributing to the delinquency of juveniles, but the St. Charles Parish District Attorney’s Office refused the charges. By September, he pled guilty to theft of goods and got a six-month jail sentence that was reduced to a year on probation.
In March of 2015, Smith pled guilty to domestic abuse with child endangerment. He was sentenced to six months in parish jail and given credit for time served.
Sheriff’s Office spokesman Cpl. James Grimaldi also confirmed his prior arrests include possession of stolen items, attachments for other agencies outside of St. Charles Parish, theft, domestic abuse and simple criminal damage to property.
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