The man who recently entered an Alford plea to second-degree manslaughter in relation to an overdose death in May of 2022 was formally sentenced in Christian Circuit Court Wednesday.
Jeremy Smith entered an Alford plea, which functions as a guilty plea, to the charges of second-degree manslaughter and trafficking in a controlled substance, which came with a recommended sentence of 12 years in total. Wednesday, public defender Doug Moore requested the court seriously consider probation for Smith, calling the incident a ‘tragic accident’.
Smith himself told the court that he wishes he could change what happened, but he knows how to make better choices now.
Judge Andrew Self says he doesn’t believe there was ever real malicious intent in this case, but some did lose their life and he believes probation would not be appropriate.
Judge Self then sentenced Smith to 12 years in prison—he would become eligible for parole after serving at least 20 percent of that sentence.
An indictment against Jeremy Smith states he caused the May 8, 2022 death of a victim identified only as “S.G.” by distributing the controlled substance that led to the overdose.