PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A jury on Thursday convicted one man and acquitted another in the shooting death of Dominic Billa at the Philadelphia Mills Mall exactly two years and a day after he was killed.
Gregory Smith was found guilty of third-degree murder and a gun charge but acquitted of first-degree murder. He is also guilty of attempted murder for shooting at Billa’s cousin as he ran from the scene.
His alleged co-conspirator Joseph Dorsey was acquitted of all charges, including third-degree murder and attempted murder.
Dominic Billa was at the mall with his cousin in March of 2021. He was shot twice through his back following a brief confrontation in the food court.
Through the 4 ½-day trial, prosecutors showed surveillance video, ballistic and DNA evidence, and cell phone data to tie the two to the case. They argued that Smith and Dorsey conspired to ambush Billa when they saw him in the mall.
Video, they said, shows that Dorsey called Smith while they were separated inside the mall to let him know Billa, a man they both said they disliked, was in the food court.
Video shows Smith rushing to the food court, then hiding behind a column before a brief confrontation, during which Billa was shot twice in the back — through his heart.
Both Dorsey and Smith are seen on video running out of the mall and jumping on a SEPTA bus. They are seen again on video inside a Mount Laurel, New Jersey, motel, where prosecutors say they were hiding out.
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The defense argued Billa was the aggressor and started the confrontation, and Smith and Dorsey were just trying to protect themselves.
“He’s upset, he’s disappointed,” Smith’s attorney Nino Tinari said. “However, we have to accept what the jury determined.”
Billa’s family was visibly upset through the trial, often crying and holding each other.
Smith will be sentenced in June.
Dorsey will be released from prison.