doublemurder

The brazen daylight killing of a man and woman on one of Nassau’s main thoroughfares on Wednesday was shocking. At the end of the barrage of bullets, Dino Smith, who has had brushes with the law, and his passenger Chatere Wells were found dead in their vehicle on Prince Charles Drive while at the stop light.

The three gunmen, armed with high-powered weapons, escaped before police arrived, later abandoning their vehicle in the area.

Smith was a target, having been shot at weeks before he was killed, according to police.

Here is a brief look at what we know about Dino Smith’s time in the court system.

July 17, 2017

Dino Smith, 23 years old at the time, was arraigned in the Magistrate’s Court for the murder of Levardo Sherman Deveaux for an incident that reportedly took place July 10 of that year.

Police stated that he exited the rear of a vehicle on Fowler Street, off East Street, and shot Deveaux who was taken to hospital but later died.

Smith was denied bail and remanded to the Department of Correctional Services.

August 26, 2019

After sentencing for the killing of Levardo Deveaux, his conviction was quashed and he was permitted to appeal with no order for a retrial.

During the trial, Deveaux’s sister said her brother told her that Smith shot him. But Smith’s defence argued that Deveaux was his friend and a man named Georgie the purchaser of a gun he sold him, shot Deveaux by mistake while inspecting the gun.

A jury found him guilty but he appealed the conviction claiming the judge made a mistake by failing to direct the jury that the crime occurred with the assistance of others, and that the conviction was “unsafe and unsatisfactory”.

Justices Sir Hartman Longley, Madam Justice Crane-Scott and Justice Milton Evans presided over the matter and his conviction was quashed.

May 24, 2022

Smith, 28 at the time, was charged with his girlfriend Annette Johnson, for possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition.

Police reported that on May 20, he was found with a black Austria Glock .40 pistol with the serial number erased and without a licence, along with 13 live rounds of .40 ammo.

Smith pleaded not guilty to the charges.

He was granted $7,500 bail and fitted with an ankle monitor.

November 8, 2022

Smith and another man Cleophus Smith, were accused of the attempted murder of Leonard Symonette on October 23.

They were remanded to prison and were expected to return to court for the presentation of their VBI on February 9, 2023.

November 2023

He was a suspect in the $1.5m robbery from an armoury car but was released without charges.

Gunmen shot at him days after his release from custody but he refused to provide police with information regarding the individuals responsible for shooting him, police say.

Family and friends of the mother and daughter found dead early Friday morning are in disbelief after their decomposing bodies were inflicted with lacerations to the neck.

“I can’t believe this. You didn’t deserve this. My heart is breaking,” cousin Rollie Brown expressed.

Allison Thompson, 37, and her daughter Trevoniqua, 14, were killed in their apartment on Ross Corner. Police were alerted to a foul odor emanating from an upstairs room. They then breached the locked door and found the pair lying on the floor of the apartment, showing signs of rigor mortis.

Friend Anna Sweeting said, “I’m in tears right now. [She was] such a sweet soul.”

Friends remembered the mother of two for her warm personality and humor.

“I met her late and she still told me, ‘I love you family. We are blood,’” cousin Quisha mourned.

“Every time I saw her, she shouted ‘cousin’ from wherever and I‘ll smile and shout back, ‘family,’” Quisha continued.

Thompson, who once worked as a security guard, was known for her “youth, wisdom, and comedic conversations.”

“No one could beat her finding a job,” her uncle Paul Thompson remembered.

Thompson’s daughter, found next to her, was a student at TA Thompson Junior High School.

“Trevonika was a sweet person. She would do anything you ask her to do…If they wanted her to go to the shop, she going to get whatever it is,” Thompson’s cousin, Renell Clarke told the Nassau Guardian.

Police believed the pair may have been killed more than 24 hours, and the day they were discovered was Thompson’s birthday. She was preparing to celebrate and had already purchased a birthday cake with an imprinted image of herself, according to family and friends.

Friend Lashan said Thompson treated her like a member of her family.

“Thirty-seven years I have known [her] and [she] wasn’t just like a friend, [she] was more like a little sister to me.”

Police soon arrested a 23-year-old man, believed to be Thompson’s boyfriend.

Reports are that he returned to the crime scene after telling a family member that he had killed Thompson and her daughter.

Jasmine Brown, a cousin of the victims, lamented, “My heart is hurting so bad. I see what people feel when they lose someone. This kill[ed] me inside.”

The family hopes to render counseling for Thompson’s 13-year-old son, who by happenstance, was with his father.

Thirty-year-old Alicia Sawyer and 8-year-old Ednique Wallace were killed in Nassau Village on Monday morning by gunshots fired by Sawyer’s boyfriend, Travon Stevens.

After the murder, the Criminal Investigation Unit quickly issued a wanted person bulletin for Travon Stevens, believed to have a rap sheet of convictions.

The case has brought national attention to murder against women and children, following recent crimes against these vulnerable groups.

Here’s what we know:

What happened before Alicia Sawyer was killed

• One day before her murder, Alicia Sawyer told police that Travon Stevens, her boyfriend, choked and kicked her while at his house.
• Stevens raped her.
• Stevens sent the nude pictures to her contacts.
• Stevens bribed Sawyer not to report him to the police

What happened Monday morning

• A young girl called police, saying her mother was dead at their residence.
• Police discovered the bodies of Sawyer and her daughter Ednique on Stack Avenue, Nassau Village at 8 am on Monday.
• Stevens ran away from the scene and was on the run from police before his capture on Monday night.
• Initial police investigation ruled the incident domestic in nature.

What happened Monday evening

• Police arrested Stevens’ father.
• Police gained insight into Stevens’ whereabouts and surveyed his movement.
• Reports say Stevens was seen near his residence in Garden Hills, before turning himself into police.
• Stevens surrendered to the police after 9 pm on Monday evening.