The mother of a Texarkana man accused of murder was indicted last week for retaliation by a Bowie County grand jury.
Renita Smith, 37, confronted and attacked a witness March 10 who had provided information to police that helped lead to her son’s arrest for murder days before, states a probable cause affidavit prepared by Texarkana, Texas police. Renita Smith and a companion pulled up in a Chevy Impala as the witness was walking along Connella Street in Texarkana, Texas.
Renita Smith is accused of shouting that the witness had “snitched” on her son, Marquell Smith, 21. Renita Smith grabbed the witness by the hair, punched him in the face and kicked him after he fell to the ground.
Marquell Smith and Brandon Eric Brown, 22, were arrested March 5 by police in Tulsa, Okla., driving a white 2008 Dodge pickup which had been listed the day before as stolen and related to a missing person’s case. Members of Christopher Guilbeau’s family reported March 4 that they had not seen or heard from him since late February.
The day after Marquell Smith and Brown were locked up in Oklahoma, investigators received information from several sources regarding the location of Guilbeau’s body. One witness reported that Marquell Smith had admitted to robbing and shooting Guilbeau before dragging his body to an alley on West 11th Street. Guilbeau’s body was found March 6 in the alley, covered with “flooring material.” Guilbeau had been shot twice and appeared to have been dead for several days.
Marquell Smith and Brown were returned to Texarkana in early August to face charges in connection with Guilbeau’s death. Marquell Smith’s bail is set at $1 million. Brown’s is set at $750,000. Both remain in the Bowie County jail.
Renita Smith faces two to ten years in prison if convicted of retaliation.
