Silverton man convicted of murder in 2021 hotel shooting in Salem

Bill Poehler, Salem Statesman Journal
·1 min read
Antonio Soto, 32, was found guilty after a two-week trial on counts including murder, attempted murder and felon in possession of a firearm related to the 2021 shooting death of Davontae Smith outside a Salem hotel.
Antonio Soto, 32, was found guilty after a two-week trial on counts including murder, attempted murder and felon in possession of a firearm related to the 2021 shooting death of Davontae Smith outside a Salem hotel.

A Silverton man on Friday was found guilty of murder by a Marion County jury stemming from the 2021 shooting death of Davontae Smith outside a Salem hotel.

Antonio Soto, 32, was found guilty after a two-week trial on counts including murder, attempted murder and felon in possession of a firearm.

According to reports from the time, Smith was found dead at Capital Inn & Suites on Fisher Road at about 3:30 a.m. on July 8, 2021, after authorities received reports of shots fired.

Soto was arrested by U.S. Marshals days after the murder in Pasco, Washington.

Soto is scheduled to be sentenced at 1 p.m. on March 16. He is being held without bail until that hearing.

In 2011, Soto was convicted of robbery in Marion County stemming from a 2009 incident and sentenced to 9 ½ years in prison. He was still on post-prison supervision at the time of the 2021 murder of Smith.

Bill Poehler covers Marion County for the Statesman Journal. Contact him at bpoehler@StatesmanJournal.com

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Silverton man convicted of murder in 2021 Salem hotel shooting