The Minnesota Supreme Court has upheld the conviction of a Chicago man in a 2021 road rage incident in which he fatally shot a youth baseball coach on his way home from a game with his son.
Jamal Smith is serving life in prison after being convicted in the death of Jay Boughton, who was shot on Highway 169 in Plymouth, Minnesota while driving with his teenage son Harrison.
Smith appealed the conviction, on the grounds that he had ineffective counsel and a lack of Black residents in the pool of prospective jurors. However, the court denied his appeal.
Boughton's family released a statement saying in part that the news was good news, but also very emotional.
"We miss Jay everyday as his life was taken from me, Harrison and Amalie too soon in this senseless act of violence," said his widow Kristin. "But we celebrate his life by telling Jay Boughton stories and will continue to do that as his light shines on each one of us. We thank our family, friends and community for their tireless prayers and support of us these past 3 years. We thank our prosecution team of Dan, Erin, Sonita and our appellate lawyers for their efforts. We thank the Plymouth Police Department for their continued support of our family. We thank God for being just as we continue to stay in the light."