AKRON, Ohio — A 27-year-old Akron woman has been sentenced to life in prison for a 2023 murder.
Kaelyn Smith received her punishment Friday in Summit County Common Pleas Court after previously pleading guilty. She will be eligible for parole after 16 years.
Back on the evening of May 24, 2023, Brandon Colter and Smith's former roommate showed up to Smith's house on Kohler Avenue to pick up a barbecue grill when Smith and the ex-roommate got into an argument. Smith then threw charcoal at Colter and the former roommate before both fled, but when they stopped their vehicle several blocks away at the intersection of 27th Street Southwest and Carey Avenue, Smith reappeared and fired at least one gunshot at their car, hitting and killing the 27-year-old Colter.
"It has been nearly a year since the tragic murder of Brandon Colter," Summit County Prosecutor Elliot Kolkovich said in a statement. "I'm pleased to know Kaelyn Smith is being held accountable for what she did."
In exchange for Smith's guilty plea, other charges of felonious assault were dropped.
