Man faces life in prison for killing Sacramento man, leaving body in abandoned vehicle
SACRAMENTO COUNTY — A man faces life in prison for a 2019 incident that saw him shoot a victim in the head and leave his body in an abandoned vehicle, the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office said Thursday.
On Wednesday, Tyler Smith was convicted by a jury of first-degree murder for the June 28, 2019, killing of Scott Chase, Jr., prosecutors said.
At the time, Chase had been living with a friend of Smith's. While Chase was out of town, the home was struck by burglars who got away with the roommate's safe which contained a gun owned by Smith.
Smith believed Chase was the one who stole the safe and gun and constructed a plan to confront him about it, prosecutors said. The day before the killing, Smith went to the home with a gun in hand and waited there for Chase to return. When Chase arrived the next morning, Smith assaulted him with the gun before shooting him in the head, killing Chase.
Smith stuffed Chase's body in the back of the victim's SUV and left it abandoned in another location. A security guard located the abandoned vehicle and reported it to police.
Investigators were able to identify Smith as a suspect in the following days. Smith was located and arrested in the state of Nevada on July 11, 2019.
Smith is scheduled to be sentenced on April 19, 2024. He faces a maximum sentence of life behind bars without the chance for parole.