Jury finds Jamal Smith guilty in fatal Highway 169 shooting

UPDATE: After over 16 hours of deliberation, the jury has reached a verdict Thursday in the trial for a man who has been charged following a deadly shooting last summer on Highway 169.

Jamal Smith was indicted after Jay Boughton was shot and killed in Plymouth while he was on his way home from a baseball game on July 6, 2021.

Below is a breakdown of the verdict returned by the jury:

GUILTY – COUNT 1 – First-degree murder, with intent while committing a felony

GUILTY – COUNT 2 – Second-degree murder, drive-by shooting

GUILTY – COUNT 3 – Possession of ammunition/any firearm as convicted or adjudicated delinquent for crime of violence

Boughton’s family members wipe away tears and hug one another after guilty verdicts are read. Jamal Smith faces life in prison on CT1 of first degree-murder by drive by shooting.

— Eric Chaloux (@EricChalouxKSTP) July 21, 2022

CT1 —-based on statues reviewed comes with a life in prison punishment. Sentencing date for Smith has not been set. He put his hand up to his face when the 3rd guilty conviction was read in court.

— Eric Chaloux (@EricChalouxKSTP) July 21, 2022

After the sentencing, Boughton’s family called the verdicts “a good feeling” but noted that it’s not a cause for celebration.

“So this is one step, again, not celebratory, but one step the Boughton family has to take,” Stephen Robinson, Boughton’s brother-in-law, said.

“There’s these little sparks of light in people, we’ve seen that throughout this case,” Robinson added, thanking everyone who has helped the family since Boughton was shot.

“I wanna thank so many people for their thoughts and prayers and ask them to continue to pray and think about us,” Kristin Robinson Boughton, Jay’s wife, said.

They also expressed confidence that law enforcement would find Smith and he would be held accountable, despite the long process that it took.

“I never wavered from the Plymouth police finding him, I always knew they would,” Robinson Boughton said.

And they reiterated that they had no doubt about who pulled the trigger that night.

“I think we have the truth, we know who did this to Jay and that person was held accountable today,” Robinson said.

The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office released the following statement Thursday afternoon:

“I want to first send my condolences to the family for their loss,” Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said. “Nothing we do can bring him back, but this conviction brings us one step closer in achieving justice for Jay Boughton.

“I also want to thank the prosecution team, led by Dan Allard and Erin Lutz, for their excellent work in presenting an extremely effective case to the jury. Their work in piecing this case together with law enforcement over the course of many months exemplifies the high quality of work our community deserves and has come to expect.

“Difficult cases like this one show that random violence will not be tolerated, and we will take every step to ensure justice for victims and their families.”

Find complete coverage of the Highway 169 shooting case here.

This is developing news. KSTP is working to get more details and will post updates as more information becomes available.

Stay with 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS and KSTP.com as we follow this news. Refresh your page to make sure you are seeing the most current information.

An earlier version of this report appears below.

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Jury deliberations are continuing Thursday in the trial for a man who has been charged following a deadly shooting last summer on Highway 169.

Lunch has been delivered to the jury. 3 hours of deliberations this morning. No other updates as we wait on a verdict in Jamal Smith case.

— Eric Chaloux (@EricChalouxKSTP) July 21, 2022

The jury went home Wednesday without reaching a verdict. Jurors are weighing whether Jamal Smith is guilty of first- and second-degree murder in the shooting death of Jay Boughton. They are also weighing a possession of ammunition/any firearm as an ineligible person charge filed against Smith.

Smith was indicted after Boughton was shot and killed in Plymouth while he was on his way home from a baseball game on July 6, 2021. Boughton’s son was in the passenger seat at the time of the shooting.

As previously reported, Smith was arrested last September in Illinois following Boughton’s death.

Prosecutors say Smith has a history of pointing guns at other drivers. Smith’s defense team claims it was a passenger in Smith’s vehicle who fired the fatal shot.

The jury hasn't shared their verdicts, but said they have reached an agreement on Ct2 (murder in 2nd degree-by drive-by shooting) and Ct3 Felon in Possession of a gun. While the 1st Degree murder count requires them to find "intent."

— Eric Chaloux (@EricChalouxKSTP) July 21, 2022

So far, court officials say jurors deliberated for four hours Tuesday, and about seven and a half hours Wednesday.

Stay with 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS and KSTP.com for updates.