A Charlotte man accused of murdering his in-laws learned Thursday that prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty against him.
Smith is one of very few defendants who has faced the death penalty in Mecklenburg County in the last several years. The last time a defendant received the death penalty was in 2009. Michael Sherrill was sentenced to death for raping and killing a woman before setting her home on fire.
Defense attorney Eben Rawls said death penalty cases take a tremendous amount of time and effort to prosecute.
Smith’s attorney said his client blacked out and doesn’t remember what happened.