Jury: Two men guilty in shooting that left Lexington 18-year-old dead
A jury has convicted two men for their involvement in a 2016 shooting that killed a Lexington teen and injured another.
Marquess L. “Hector” Smith, 26, and Marique Q. Sturgis, 25, were convicted around midnight Wednesday after about 12 hours of deliberations, investigator Joshua Powell confirmed to the Herald-Leader. They were on trial for the death of Caleb Hallet, who was 18 at the time he was shot and killed. The fatal shooting was preceded by a botched robbery, according to prosecutors.
The jury convicted Smith of murder, ruling he was either complicit or the principle actor in the offense. He was also convicted of complicity to second-degree assault and complicity to two counts of first-degree robbery. Sturgis was found guilty of complicity to second-degree manslaughter, complicity to second-degree assault, complicity to two counts of first-degree robbery and complicity to evidence tampering, according to Powell, who is a capital trial investigator with the Department of Public Advocacy and worked on the case.
The jury discussed sentencing until 2 a.m., and were granted a recess until 11 a.m. on Wednesday, according to Powell. At around 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, jurors came back with a sentencing verdict for both men. Sturgis faces a maximum sentence of 35 years and Smith faces a maximum sentence of 40 years.
Closing arguments began Tuesday and lasted nearly three hours in total.
The trial for Smith and Sturgis started last week, with testimony beginning Nov. 8. Prosecutors used evidence to attempt to prove five people — two men and three minors — coordinated this attack that ended with Hallett’s death. Fayette Commonwealth’s Attorney Kimberly Baird relied on cell phone evidence and ballistics casings to show that Smith shot Hallet, and Sturgis shot another victim who did not die in the incident.
Of the five suspects in this case, only Smith and Sturgis went to trial.
Christopher “Mason” Allen, 25, and Ricky Auxier, 24, were both involved in the case but they pleaded guilty. A fifth suspect died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Allen and Auxier both testified at trial to aid prosecutors’ case, which was a condition of the plea deals extended to both of them. Allen faces a 30-year sentence for murder and Auxier faces 15 years for robbery.
According to court testimony and evidence, all five suspects arranged a robbery at a home on University Avenue because they believed there was a significant amount of narcotics inside the residence.
This story was originally published November 15, 2023 at 8:49 AM.
