14-year-old girl charged with first degree murder in death of mother’s ‘abusive’ boyfriend
14-year-old girl charged with first degree murder in death of mother’s ‘abusive’ boyfriend
A 14-year-old girl has been charged as an adult in the death of her mother’s boyfriend, 45, who was found lying in a pool of blood on his kitchen floor with a shell casing next to him.
Makayla Dawn Brown is accused of first-degree murder in the killing of Mario Smith Sr. in his Ripley, Oklahoma, home on April 19.
Investigators are looking into claims the teenager shot Smith because he reportedly pistol-whipped her mother, KFOR reported.
One witness saw Makayla shoot Smith in the head while another woman told investigators the teenager laughed when she admitted to killing Smith two days later, according to an arrest warrant affidavit cited by the Stillwater News Press.
Smith, Makayla Brown, and her mother Tysa Brown were all in the 45-year-old’s home on April 19, along with several other friends and family members.
Merrill Carter, Smith’s cousin who was in the house at the time, told the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation he saw Makayla walk into the kitchen and pull out a gun.
Tysa’s friend Alexis Terry said she saw Makayla shoot Smith once in the head, claiming the 14-year-old had done so because he had physically abused her mother by hitting her in the head with a gun, according to the affidavit.
Another woman said she thought Makayla was ‘bragging’ when the teenager laughed and admitted to shooting Smith two days later after his body was found.
Authorities found Smith two days later, face down on his kitchen floor in a pool of his own blood. There was a nine-millimeter shell casing next to him.
The weapon has not been recovered, although witnesses said Makayla shot Smith with a caramel-colored semi-automatic pistol, according to the affidavit.
Smith’s son told authorities his father owned a gun similar to the one described by the witnesses.
Witnesses also added they did not believe Tysa was involved in Smith’s death because she was visibly upset.
Smith, who died one day before he was due to appear in court, was charged with 14 felonies across three cases related to methamphetamine, marijuana, stealing, firearms, assault and battery, the News Press reported.
