DATE: April 22, 2024
CASE: Tyler Smith (Case #19FE011863)
PROSECUTOR: Principal Criminal Attorney Brad Ng, Homicide Unit
On April 19, 2024, the Honorable Peter Williams sentenced Tyler Smith to life in prison without the possibility of parole. On February 21, 2024, Smith was convicted by a jury of first-degree murder with a use of gun allegation and the special circumstance that the murder was committed during the commission of a robbery found true. Smith was also convicted of felon in possession of a firearm.
The victim, Scott Chase II, was living with Tyler Smith’s friend. While the victim was out of town, their residence was burglarized. Among the items stolen was the roommate’s safe, which contained a firearm that belonged to Smith. Smith believed the victim was the burglar and put into place a plan to confront him while armed and take back the stolen property as well as anything else of value. On June 27, 2019, Smith went to the victim’s residence armed with a firearm. When the victim returned home early the next morning, Smith began striking the victim with the gun before shooting him once in the head. Smith then put the victim into the back of the victim’s SUV, which was later found abandoned with the victim in it. The vehicle was located by a security guard, who called 911. Smith was identified as the shooter and was arrested in Nevada on July 11, 2019. The firearm used in the homicide was never recovered.
