Testimony is expected to conclude Wednesday in the trial of Ja’naz Smith, 18, of Lima, charged with murder in the January 2020 shooting death of Danielle Jackson behind Pappy’s bar in Lima.
J Swygart | The Lima News
LIMA — The jury trial of Lima teenager Ja’naz Smith, charged with murder in the January 2020 shooting death of 44-year-old Danielle Jackson behind Pappy’s bar, teetered on the verge of a mistrial Tuesday when it was learned that a piece of evidence introduced by prosecutors had never been provided to defense attorneys.
Detective Todd Jennings had barely begun his testimony when he mentioned a report from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation detailing DNA tests performed on shell casings collected at the murder scene.
Steve Chamberlain from the Allen County Public Defenders Office immediately asked for a sidebar conference and it was subsequently noted that the report had not been provided to defense attorneys. Assistant Prosecutor Kyle Thines confirmed that the state had failed to furnish the report to Smith’s legal team.
Judge Terri Kohlrieser said efforts would be made to contact the report’s author to come to court and testify about her findings.
Short of that, “we may have to call a mistrial and start all over,” said Chamberlain. “I don’t want to do that,” he added.
“I’m not trying to assign blame here,” the defense attorney said. “I don’t think the state had the report either.”
After a 30-minute recess it was reported that the BCI analyst who had performed the DNA examination of the shell cartridges would testify in court Wednesday morning. Kohlrieser said a mistrial remains a possibility.
Jennings’ testimony was allowed to continue following the interruption, although no further mention of DNA testing was made in front of the jurors.
During the detective’s time on the stand prosecutors played a video recording on an interview Jennings had conducted with the defendant at the Lima Police Department several months after the shooting.
“The streets talk, and that’s why you’re here,” Jennings told Smith as the interview began. “You name has come up in connection with the shooting at Pappy’s.”
About halfway through the 20-minute interview Smith admitted that he and Jordan Daniel were “walking around” on the morning of Jan. 20, 2020, and had witnessed Jackson come out of the bar at 1000 W. North St. in Lima.
Smith said the pair asked Jackson for money and when he said he had none “we shot him.”
Smith said he had a 9 millimeter handgun which he threw in the Ottawa River a few days later. Daniel carried a .22 caliber pistol which he used to shoot Jackson, Smith testified.
Dr. Thomas Blomquist, a deputy coroner with the Lucas County Coroners Office, took the witness stand Tuesday morning and testified that four bullets entered Jackson’s body and directly contributed to his death. Two bullets passed completely though the victim and two were recovered during an autopsy of Jackson’s body.
Blomquist said two bullets entered the body from the front and two struck Jackson from behind.
Kevin Belcik, a forensic scientist with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation who specializes in firearm analysis, performed forensic tests on three spent bullet cartridges found at the murder scene and bullet fragments recovered during the autopsy performed on Jackson’s body.
Belcik said that in his professional opinion the three spent 9 millimeter Lugar cartridges were fired by the same weapon. Bullet fragments removed from Jackson’s body were “consistent with a nominal .22 caliber firearm,” he said.
Smith and Daniel, both 15 at the time, were indicted by a grand jury in January of 2021 on charges of aggravated murder with a firearm specification; two counts of aggravated robbery with a firearm specification; and tampering with evidence in connection with Jackson’s death.
Daniel was tried in juvenile court and stood trial in early November that year and was found guilty of all charges.
