Before Shereen Smith was shot dead earlier this month, she was “being stalked” by her ex-boyfriend, Alfred Simmons, who now stands accused in her homicide, according to a New Orleans police detective.
An affidavit for Simmons’ arrest warrant on a charge of second-degree murder also states video shows Smith struggling with a man outside a black BMW the evening of April 18 before she runs out of view of the camera. The man can be seen closely following her, out of the camera’s view, the affidavit states, before he is shown getting inside the BMW and fleeing the scene of her West Lake Forest neighborhood home.
“It should be noted that this is the exact time that the decedent was shot and her body was discovered,” the affidavit, sworn by NOPD Homicide Detective Tanisha Sykes, states.
The document refers to the BMW as Simmons’ car, and says he was often seen driving it.
NOPD has said Smith, 44, was found shot in the head shortly before 9 a.m. April 18, and died after being taken to a hospital.
Simmons, 43, was booked into the Orleans Justice Center Tuesday (April 30), following his arrest on the murder warrant in Baton Rouge five days earlier. NOPD issued a news release the day after Smith was killed seeking information about his whereabouts and indicating he was wanted on a murder charge and should be considered to be “armed and extremely dangerous.”
At Simmons’ first appearance hearing Tuesday evening, Orleans Magistrate Commissioner Albert Thibodeaux assigned the Orleans Public Defender’s Office to represent him, court records show.
Authorities arrest 43-year-old man in Baton Rouge in connection with West Lake Forest homicide
The day before Smith was killed as well as the day of her death, Sykes wrote, Simmons was seen sitting in his BMW outside Smith’s residence on Westlake Drive, near the intersection of Dwyer Road. A witness also said that minutes before she was killed, Smith told a neighbor Simmons was outside her residence, the affidavit states. It also states a phone number detectives learned through records belonged to Simmons made several calls to Smith about eight minutes before Smith was fatally shot.
Thibodeaux set Simmons’ bond at $1.5 million. A pretrial services assessment provided to Thibodeaux assigned Simmons a risk score of four out of five, with five denoting the highest risk. The score is based on both a defendant’s likeliness to appear in court, their past record of showing up for court dates; and criminal activity, including the allegations the person is facing and their past convictions.
Booking documents show Simmons was convicted in 2012, in Nevada, for charges including two felony counts of domestic battery by strangulation and two counts of domestic battery. He also has convictions out of Orleans parish from 1998 and 1994, for possession of cocaine and possession of a stolen auto, respectively, records show.
Smith is survived by her husband, two children, two stepchildren, her father, three siblings and other relatives, according to an obituary. Her funeral service took place Saturday (April 29), at Blessed Trinity Catholic Church on Broad Street.
Who to call: New Orleans area resources for domestic abuse victims
via nola.comhttps://www.nola.com
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