Donald Dubose pleaded innocent Friday to four criminal charges, including first-degree premeditated murder while armed, in connection with the May 2012 drive-by shooting that killed Michael Oshea Smith.
Dubose, 24, rejected a plea offer for a charge of second-degree murder while armed during his arraignment hearing before Judge Jennifer Anderson.
Two months after police found Smith dead in a car that crashed into a house on the 1100 block of Stevens Road Southeast on May 12, 2012, Dubose was arrested. Police say Smith died in the passenger seat of the vehicle from a gunshot wound to the head.
At a preliminary hearing, Metropolitan Police Detective Norma Horne testified that police believe Dubose is connected to a car seen in surveillance videos of the area near the shooting.
According to charging documents, Smith was receiving a ride to his house from another person when they noticed a car following them.
According to court documents, the driver said that he pulled over to let the car pass, but the other car pulled up alongside them and someone began shooting at them. When the driver attempted to speed off, he said he crashed into a home.
The driver told police there were four people in the other car, documents state.
Video footage from several street cameras captured the image of a black Ford Fusion following Smith and his friend moments before they were shot at. Documents state that around 5:33 a.m. that same vehicle was directly behind Smith and his friend as their car crashed.
The owner of the Ford Fusion told police that Dubose borrowed the car the evening before Smith was found dead, and that Dubose returned the car the following morning, documents state.
A felony status conference is scheduled for May 9, at 9:30 in front of Judge Anderson.
A copy of the indictment is below:
