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Suspect guilty of killing man who gave him a ride from convenience store

A jury found 31-year-old Jerel Smith guilty of second degree murder and armed robbery in the death of Ryan Dubuc in January 2017.

ST. CHARLES PARISH -- A St. Charles Parish jury returned a guilty verdict Friday afternoon against a 32-year-old suspected of shooting, killing and robbing a 28-year-old Metairie man after their paths crossed at a gasoline station in January 2017.

Jerel Smith, 32, faces a mandatory life sentence after jurors convicted him of armed robbery and second-degree murder of Ryan Dubuc.

“We’ve been here every month for a year and half, and understood, justice takes time. I think we are just really glad to close this chapter,” said Michael Dubuc, Ryan’s cousin.

The announcement came on the same day as closing arguments, which at times were hard to listen to for this Metairie family. Now they are thankful the trial is over.

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“We will never get Ryan back. We will never see him again. We will never have him at another birthday party or Christmas family gathering or anything like that,” said Don Dubuc, Ryan’s uncle and Godfather, “but at least now we can say now justice has been served.”

Smith pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder in February of 2017. He was arrested a month earlier less than 48 hours after authorities found Dubuc’s body near the Hahnville Wastewater Plant. Prosecutors argued that before the murder Jerel asked Dubuc for a ride at a Luling convenience store. Sometime after the two drove off, Smith shot Dubuc, investigators said. The defense did not want to comment following the verdict but claimed this was a case of mistaken identity. The jury didn’t buy it.

“We had the victim’s DNA on the defendant's shoes. We had a lot of surveillance footage and few things in his statement he said and lied about that assisted us with this case,” said Rochelle Champagne Fahrig with the prosecution.

The family says with this chapter behind them they just want to remember and celebrate Ryan.

“Anyone who met him, they were laughing within minutes,” said Michael Dubuc. “He certainly was one of the best fishermen in Metairie. I know that.”

“Hopefully we can pick the pieces of our family back up together and just remember Ryan as the guy he was,” said Don Dubuc.

This crime carries a mandatory life sentence. There is a however a sentencing hearing scheduled for June 14. Detectives also linked Smith to a December 29, 2016 robbery at the same business where he met Dubuc. Prosecutors have not tried that case yet.

The Advocate’s Ramon Antonio Vargas contributed to this report.

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