NORFOLK, Va. — A man was found guilty on multiple charges after assaulting a woman, and about two months later, shooting her to death and leaving a witness paralyzed in Norfolk.
Curtis Smith, 43, was found guilty by a judge of first-degree murder, aggravated malicious wounding, two counts of using a firearm in the commission of those felonies, and being a violent felon in possession of a firearm. He had entered a not guilty plea and represented himself during the trial.
Smith murdered 24-year-old Precious McClendon and seriously injured a man who witnessed the shooting in September of 2023, prosecutors say.
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Prosecutors argued that Smith had previously assaulted McClendon a couple months before murdering her. This happened in the Wide Street area on Jun. 30, 2023.
Smith confronted her about $15 she allegedly owed him, then assaulted her, prosecutors say. When a man intervened, Smith pulled out a gun and shot him. The man who intervened then shot back at Smith, but one of the rounds fired hit McClendon in her ankle.
Both McClendon and Smith were treated for their injuries at a hospital.
After McClendon identified Smith to police as the man who assaulted her, he was charged with assaulting McClendon, coupled with multiple firearm-related felonies.
On Aug. 17, a judge granted Smith bail despite the Commonwealth's objections, according to prosecutors.
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A couple weeks later on Sept. 3, Smith shot McClendon near the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial at the intersection of Brambleton Avenue and Church Street, prosecutors say. The shots hit her in the neck and torso, killing her.
Smith also shot a man who was running away from the gunfire. He was hit in the back, leaving him paralyzed, prosecutors say. He identified Smith as the shooter and police made the arrest two days after the incident.
The surviving witness came to court in his portable medical bed and testified against Smith.
“I am grateful to the surviving victim, who despite his serious injuries was willing to come to court in a hospital bed to testify against Mr. Smith. The conviction in this case is a credit to his strength and perseverance,” said Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi.
Smith has a sentencing hearing set for May 23.
