Oct. 2, 2012
For Immediate Release
Contact: Tim Connolly 508-368-7236
0r 508-688-5565
Or Paul Jarvey 508 368-7241 or 508 735-2981
WORCESTER – After deliberating for less than three hours, a Superior Court jury found Donovan K. Smith guilty of first-degree murder in the 2010 shooting death of a Worcester State University student, Worcester District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. announced today.
Mr. Smith fatally shot Michelle Diaz, 21, of Worcester, in the neck on Aug. 24, 2010 as she sat behind the wheel of her car on Fairfax Road.
The shooting was part of a plot by Mr. Smith and three others to rob Ms. Diaz of money and marijuana, according to Assistant District Attorney Michael D. McHugh, who prosecuted the case.
Mr. Smith, 20, was also found guilty of attempted robbery.
A first-degree murder conviction carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole, but Judge John S. McCann put off sentencing until tomorrow to allow members of Ms. Diaz’s family to present victim impact statements to the court.