Man, already accused of murder, plotted second killing from jail, prosecutor says

A South Cumminsville man is accused of plotting a fatal shooting while being held in jail on murder charges, according to the Hamilton County Prosecutor's Office.

Arthur Smith, 35, was indicted Friday on charges of aggravated murder, murder and felonious assault, according to records filed in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court.

While in custody at the Hamilton County Justice Center, Smith conspired to kill 32-year-old Davonte Hollis, who was shot and killed in South Cumminsville on Oct. 14, according to Hamilton County Assistant Prosecutor Amy Clausing and Cincinnati police.

Wendall Foster, 26, of Erlanger, Kentucky, is the alleged shooter, Clausing said. He was also indicted Friday on charges of aggravated murder, murder, felonious assault and tampering with evidence, court records show.

Jail records show Foster is currently being held at the Kenton County Detention Center. He was arrested Monday by the U.S. Marshals Service, the Northern Kentucky Drug Strike Force and Erlanger police on drug charges and a murder warrant out of Cincinnati, court records show.

Smith was arrested in November 2021 in connection with the fatal shooting of 34-year-old Antwan Morris.

In an affidavit, a Cincinnati police officer said Smith shot Morris in the stomach after a verbal altercation.

Morris died of his injuries three days after the shooting. His family says he was replacing locks at a woman’s home when he was fatally injured.

Smith was not supposed to have the .380 semi-automatic handgun he used to shoot Morris, due to having been previously convicted of felonious assault, the officer said.

As of Friday evening, jail and court records did not indicate when Smith is next expected to appear in court. A hearing in Foster's case is scheduled for Dec. 28 in Kenton County.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Prosecutor: Man, already accused of murder, plotted second killing from jail