Hagerstown man enters Alford plea in case of Waynesboro, Pa., man's murder

Another co-defendant in the October 2020 shooting death of Waynesboro, Pa., man Daynard Devere Johnson has entered a plea deal, according to court records.

Brock Jerome Smith, 34, of Hagerstown, entered an Alford plea to first-degree assault Thursday in Washington County Circuit Court, according to court records.

An Alford plea does not admit guilt, but acknowledges the prosecution has enough evidence to obtain a conviction.

Smith was being held without bond Monday at the Washington County Detention Center. He had been scheduled to have a jury trial starting Monday.

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"Brock Smith was not the alleged shooter," defense attorney Andrew Alperstein said in a phone interview Monday.

Alperstein said Smith's sentencing hearing is scheduled for late August.

The maximum penalty for first-degree assault is 25 years in state prison.

As part of the plea deal, the state dismissed several other charges including first- and second-degree murder. First-degree murder is punishable by up to life in prison.

Washington County State's Attorney Gina Cirincion, on behalf of her office, said Friday she had no comment on Smith's plea deal. She noted there was still one defendant to be tried in the case.

The only current defendant whose case hasn't been adjudicated yet is Raymond Garfield Campbell III (aka "Uno"), for whom there remains an active warrant for his arrest in this case. Campbell is facing charges that include first- and second-degree murder.

The Hagerstown Police Department has offered a reward for information leading to Campbell's arrest. The amount of the reward depends on the quality of the information, police have said. Tips can be emailed to Detective S. Weaver at sweaver@hagerstownpd.org.

Alexander Daniel Brooks, 28, of Hagerstown, entered an Alford plea in January to first-degree murder. In May, Judge Brett R. Wilson sentenced Brooks to life in prison, with all but 30 years suspended.

After Brooks was sentenced, his defense attorney, David Harbin, said via email that Brooks "certainly did not pull the trigger and take the young man's life."

Charges against two other men in the case had previously been dismissed.

What happened to Daynard Johnson?

When Hagerstown Police arrived in the 300 block of Henry Avenue in Hagerstown around 10:25 p.m. on Oct. 14, 2020, they found Johnson, 40, face down on the sidewalk with bullet wounds to his head, chest, abdomen and hand, according to court documents. He was pronounced dead 11 minutes later.

Various suspects were allegedly tracking Johnson's movements and communicating via cellphones shortly before he was shot, according to charging documents.

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Smith got into a Dodge Charger, Brooks and the alleged shooter got into a Dodge Ram and another man got into a Cadillac SUV, all three leaving fast and driving to a convenience store from which one of the previous defendants allegedly texted after talking to Johnson in the store, court records state.

Police reviewed city surveillance cameras to track the vehicles, court records state.

All three vehicles ran two red lights as they headed in the direction of the Audi containing Johnson.

The Ram caught up to the Audi near Henry and Murph avenues and followed closely until it returned to that area, court records state. The Audi stopped in the middle of Henry Avenue as a man approached and talked to the Audi's occupants.

The Ram and Charger were nearby and later driving around that area. The Ram was east on Bethune Avenue, turning north toward North Avenue when Brooks allegedly dropped off the shooter and the homicide occurred, court records state.

While the shooting occurred, the Ram and Charger pulled up by each other on North Avenue and Smith was observed giving the Ram driver a "thumbs up" as he drove away, court records state. The gesture occurred about 20 to 25 seconds after Johnson was shot inside the Audi.

Johnson's murder purportedly tied to West Virginia homicide

Family and friends of Johnson have told police his murder was retaliation for the September 2020 murder of Vance Anthony Trotman Jr., 26, of Hagerstown. Smith, Brooks and others were family or close friends of Trotman, according to court documents.

Trotman and Devon Gordon Jr., of Martinsburg, were shot shortly after 2 a.m. on Sept. 6, 2020, at the Mountaineer Pub parking lot at 214 Mid Atlantic Parkway north of Martinsburg. Gordon was wounded. Trotman was pronounced dead at a hospital.

Video footage showed Trotman exit the club after a fight broke out, and that he had an opportunity to leave the premises, Cpl. R.L. Steerman Jr. with the Berkeley County Sheriff's Department has said. Instead, the footage appears to show Trotman going in the direction of where Gordon was in the parking lot when the shooting occurred, Steerman has said.

The Berkeley County prosector has previously said Johnson was a person of interest in the Trotman case, which can mean investigators wanted to speak with him.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Brock Smith enters Alford plea to lesser offense in fatal shooting