A Cincinnati man who killed a handyman receives a life sentence while being accused of murdering another while incarcerated.
Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Chris Wagner sentenced Arthur Smith, 37, to the maximum penalty of life in prison with the possibility of parole for the shooting death of a Northside apartment handyman, Antwan Morris. Smith was found guilty and convicted of murder, felonious assault, and weapon under disability.
“Special thanks go out to the Cincinnati Police Department as well as Assistant Prosecutors Seth Tieger and Katie Casch for their outstanding work on behalf of our community prosecuting this matter, said Hamilton County Prosecutor Melissa Powers in a statement, according to Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office.
On Nov. 7, 2021, around 1:30 pm, Morris had gone to the 1700 Block of Casey Drive to change the locks of the defendant’s girlfriend's apartment. Soon, an argument between the two men broke out when Smith shot the victim and followed the victim as he continued to punch Morris in the parking lot of the complex before Smith fled the scene. There, officers found the victim suffering from a gunshot wound and rushed Morris to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead three days later.
“He didn’t deserve this. His children don’t deserve not to have a father,” said Antwan’s mother Tracy Morris during the victim impact statement, reported Fox 19 Now.
Ten days later, Smith was arrested and held on a $250,000 bond at the Hamilton County Justice Center. While incarcerated, the defendant conspired with an accomplice, 28-year-old Wendall Foster, to murder Devonte Hollis. Three weeks later, Hollis was allegedly shot to death by Foster as the victim sat on the front porch of a home on Beekman Street.
Morris’ family described him as a hard-working entrepreneur who was in the process of building a house for his autistic nephew before his demise.
Smith will be eligible for parole after serving 24 years. However, he faces additional life in prison as he awaits trial for the Hollis homicide.
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