Alabama man charged in quadruple killing denied bond

BAY MINETTE, Ala. (AP) — A judge has denied bond for a man accused of killing his grandparents, his brother and a family friend in south Alabama.

Jared Smith-Bracy, 21, is charged with four counts of capital murder in the deaths Wednesday night in Daphne. He met briefly with his two court-appointed attorneys before the Friday bond hearing, and they entered a plea of not guilty by reason of mental disease or mental defect on his behalf, WKRG-TV reported.

Baldwin County Chief Assistant District Attorney Teresa Heinz asked for no bond, and the judge granted that request. But the judge said that could change as the investigation continues, the television station reported.

Police have said Smith-Bracy fatally shot his 72-year-old grandmother, Barbara Smith; his 27-year-old brother, Jeremy Smith; and 71-year-old family friend, Sheila Glover, whose bodies were found in the backyard of his grandparents' home. He then used a pickaxe to beat his 80-year-old grandfather, Lenard Smith, to death inside a bedroom in the house, police said, according to WPMI-TV.

Smith-Bracy lived with his grandparents, who called police Wednesday morning because he had broken a door, WPMI-TV reported. He was charged with criminal mischief and got a ride home from a friend around 5 p.m. that day after bonding out of jail, police said. He then grabbed the friend's handgun and began firing after forcing his way into the home, Daphne police Sgt. Jason Vannoy said.

“The person who drove him there in the car, I’m not sure that he used the exact phrase, ‘out of the blue,’ but that’s how I would characterize it,” said Vannoy.