Emotional, graphic testimony defines first day of road rage trial
MINNEAPOLIS -- The trial for the man accused of killing a youth baseball coach began on Monday with opening testimony and several witnesses, including members of the victim's family.
Jamal L. Smith, faces multiple charges related to the shooting death of Jay Boughton on July 6, 2021. According to investigators, Smith allegedly shot Jay Boughton after the drivers had an altercation on Highway 169 in Plymouth.
"In the larger picture, what happened was an amazing man was killed a little over a year ago," Stephen Robinson, Boughton's brother-in-law, told WCCO. "When you have that person in your life that's there every day and that gets taken from you, it's been a fog for the family."
Dozens of family, friends and ballplayers were in attendance at the Hennepin County Courthouse, all of them dressed in yellow shirts. They also wore pins reading "Stay In The Light."
"It's very easy to be angry and fall into that," Robinson explained. "That doesn't help and that doesn't honor Jay's memory. So from the get go, my sister (Jay's wife, Kristin) has been very adamant about staying in the light. Jay's light. God's light."
The opening statement from prosecutors described Smith as ticked off Boughton honked and then gestured at his driving. The defense maintained there was no way he could drive and shoot, and implied it was someone else in the car who opened fire.
Following the opening statements, the prosecution called its first witness -- the victim's wife of 17 years, Kristin Boughton, who tearfully recalled her experience the night her husband was killed.
"This has been the most painful experience of our lives," she lamented, adding that Monday, July 11, would've been Jay's 58th birthday.
The victim's 16-year-old son, Harrison Boughton, was also called to the stand. He was in thevehicle at the time of the shooting. Prosecutors plan to seek a stiffer sentence, in part because the boy witnessed it. The shooting happened as Jay Boughton drove his son home from a baseball game.
Harrison Boughton said the other car was "driving fast, getting close enough to make us swerve out of the way." He said his dad beeped his horn and "flipped off" the driver of that vehicle. Moments later he heard noise, glass breaking, and saw a circle in the window. Their vehicle crashed and he called 911.
Prosecutors also presented audio of Harrison Boughton's frantic 911 call.
"Harrison was such a strong kid to have the presence of mind to go through an event like that and be with it mentally to call 911, call police, call his mom, seeing what happened to his dad," Robinson said. "I'm very proud of him."
One thing that helped investigators close in on Smith as their suspect was a Facebook Live broadcast that showed Smith wearing similar clothes and carrying a similar handbag to one shown on surveillance video, posted shortly after the shooting. The Facebook Live broadcast also showed Smith brandishing a semi-automatic handgun, from which authorities were able to determine a serial number.
In the days following the incident, the police chief called the shooting "one of the most tragic events" he's witnessed in his 20 years of policing.