CLOSE An Alabama teenager being tried as an adult has been sentenced to 65 years in prison after turning down a plea deal for 25 years. Nathan Rousseau Smith has the story. Buzz60 
 
 Lakeith Smith, 18, of Montgomery, Ala., was sentenced April 5, 2018, to 65 years in prison as an accomplice in crimes that included murder, burglary and theft. (Photo: Elmore County (Ala.) Jail) 
 
 WETUMPKA, Ala. — A teenager tried as an adult under Alabama's accomplice liability law was sentenced to 65 years in prison Thursday after rejecting an earlier plea deal that recommended 25 years. 
 
 In a two-day trial in March, Lakeith Smith, now 18, of Montgomery was convicted of felony murder, burglary and theft for helping in the 2015 break-ins of two homes in Millbrook, about 10 miles north of Montgomery. He did not kill A'Donte Washington, 16, of Montgomery, who was part of a group of five accused in the thefts. 
 
 But several in the group, including Washington, fired shots at Millbrook police officers who responded Feb. 23, 2015, to a call of a burglary in progress, according to officer body-camera footage. The officer that Washington ran toward pointing a .38 caliber revolver fired his police-issued sidearm four times, killing Washington. 
 
 Smith was accused of being criminally responsible for the acts that led to Washington's death, the gist of Alabama's accomplice law. An Elmore County grand jury cleared the officer who fired the fatal shots; the officer's name was not released. 
 
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 On Thursday, Judge Sibley Reynolds of Alabama's 19th Judicial Circuit Court handed down three sentences that Smith will serve back to back: 30 years for murder, 15 years for burglary and 10 years each for two theft convictions. 
 
 Smith smiled and laughed through the sentencing, said C.J. Robinson, chief assistant district attorney. Smith flashed a broad smile March 14 as he was led out of the courtroom shortly after the verdicts were announced. 
 
 “Because the sentences are consecutive, it will be a long time before he comes up for even the possibility for parole, at least 20 to 25 years.” C.J. Robinson, 19th Judicial Circuit District Attorney's Office 
 
 “I don’t think Mr. Smith will be smiling long when he gets to prison,” Robinson said. “We are very pleased with this sentence. Because the sentences are consecutive, it will be a long time before he comes up for even the possibility for parole, at least 20 to 25 years.” 
 
 Alabama's accomplice law states that a person is legally liable for the behavior of another who commits a criminal offense if that person aids or abets the first person in committing the offense. It wasn't immediately known how many states have similar statutes. 
 
 "The officer shot A'donte, not Lakeith Smith," Smith's lawyer, Jennifer Holton, said during the trial. "Lakeith was a 15-year-old child, scared to death. He did not participate in the act that caused the death of A'donte. He never shot anybody." 
 
 Other surviving defendants charged in the case — Montgomery residents Jadarien Hardy, 22; Jhavarske Jackson, 23; and La’Anthony Washington, 22 — entered guilty pleas to charges of felony murder, burglary and theft, court records show. They are awaiting sentencing. 
 
 Follow Marty Roney on Twitter: @MartyRoney1 
 
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 Read or Share this story: https://usat.ly/2GFTeK9 ||||| CLOSE An Alabama teenager being tried as an adult has been sentenced to 65 years in prison after turning down a plea deal for 25 years. Nathan Rousseau Smith has the story. Buzz60 
 
 Lakieth Smith (Photo: Booking) 
 
 WETUMPKA — A Montgomery teenager has been sentenced to 65 years in prison on murder and theft related convictions, in a case tried under the state’s accomplice law. 
 
 Lakieth Smith, 18, was sentenced by Circuit Judge Sibley Reynolds for his role in the crimes. Smith was convicted in March, following a two-day trial. Reynolds handed down a 30-year sentence for felony murder, a 15-year sentence for burglary and two 10-year sentences for the two theft convictions. Reynolds then ordered the sentences to be served consecutively. 
 
 More: Lakeith Smith guilty of murder, other charges in accomplice law case 
 
 Smith smiled and laughed through the sentencing, said C.J. Robinson, chief assistant district attorney. Smith flashed a broad smile as he was being led out of the courtroom in March shortly after the verdicts were announced. Smith, midtrial, turned down a plea offer that included a recommend sentence of 25 years on all charges. 
 
 “I don’t think Mr. Smith will be smiling long when he gets to prison,” Robinson said. “We are very pleased with this sentence. Because the sentences are consecutive, it will be a long time before he comes up for even the possibility for parole, at least 20 to 25 years.” 
 
 Smith was charged under Alabama’s accomplice law, which holds co-defendants can be guilty of murder if a death occurs when they are committing a crime, even if the accomplice is not the person who directly caused the death. 
 
 Five people broke into two homes in Millbrook on Feb. 23, 2015. Smith was part of that group. Millbrook police officers responded to a call of a burglary in progress. One of the co-defendants began shooting at an officer as he entered the home. Testimony brought out that several of the co-defendants fired at the officer. The suspects left the home and ran into the backyard, still firing at the officer. 
 
 A’Donte Washington, 16, also of Montgomery, ran out of the backyard through a gate in the privacy fence. Police officer body camera footage played in court during Smith’s trial showed he was armed with a 38 cal. revolver. Washington ran toward another officer, pointing the gun at the officer, the footage shows. The officer fired his sidearm four times, striking and killing Washington. 
 
 It was Washington’s death that Smith was charged with. An Elmore County grand jury cleared the officer that fired the fatal shots. 
 
 The other co-defendants in the case; Jhavarske Jackson, 23, Jadarien Hardy, 22 and La’Anthony Washington, 22, all of Montgomery, entered guilty pleas on charges of felony murder, burglary and theft, courthouse records show. They await sentencing. 
 
 Read or Share this story: https://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/news/crime/2018/04/05/montgomery-teen-convicted-accomplice-law-killing-turns-down-25-year-plea-offer-gets-65-instead/489033002/ ||||| LaKeith Smith, 19, laughed at a judge's comment during his sentencing Thursday. He'll spend 65 years in prison for felony murder, armed burglary, second-degree theft, and third-degree theft. 
 
 An Elmore County jury found Smith guilty of the felony counts in March. He was the only defendant of four that did not plead guilty. 
 
 Smith was tried under Alabama’s accomplice liability law for the death of the fifth suspect, A’Donte Washington, who charged a Millbrook police officer with a gun and was subsequently shot and killed. 
 
 Because Washington was killed during the commission of a felony, all suspects involved were charged with felony murder for his death. 
 
 Judge Sibley Reynolds noted that Smith had shown no remorse for his actions during the entire trial process and took no opportunity to apologize. 
 
 Reynolds overheard Smith say, "I don’t have time for this" while waiting to be called and, and the judge confronted him about his comments. 
 
 “You got plenty of time for this,” Reynolds explained to Smith before handing down the sentence. “When I called the case earlier you said you ain’t got time for this, so I didn’t know if you had time for this now?” 
 
 Smith laughed and lowered his head, stating he didn’t know the judge heard him. 
 
 Reynolds paused and asked Smith, "You just don’t get it do you?" 
 
 "He hasn't said I'm sorry yet,” the judge went on. “He hasn't acknowledged to this court that he shouldn't have done, shouldn't have come around, in fact, his attitude toward this court and life, in general, has been sour.” 
 
 Smith’s grandfather made an impassioned plea for his grandson’s freedom, asking the judge to show mercy. 
 
 "Give him a chance to tell you he’s sorry," the grandfather pleaded with Reynolds. 
 
 “He’s had every opportunity,” the judge responded. "I’ve asked two or three times today.” 
 
 “Are you sorry?” the grandfather asked Smith then responded he was sorry for his actions and sorry for his "homeboy", referencing A’Donte Washington. 
 
 Chief District Attorney C.J. Robinson noted Smith’s attitude in court. 
 
 "After the jury verdict, he was laughing. Today in court he was laughing," Robinson said. “I have yet to understand what was so funny.” 
 
 Robinson explained Smith was a young man with his whole life ahead of him but now has to pay the consequences for some very bad decisions. 
 
 “Standing there in court, I couldn’t help but have compassion for his grandfather, for his family," Robinson went on, “because of his stupidity, they have lost him for 65 years.” 
 
 Smith’s co-defendants Jadarrian Hardy, Jhavarske Jackson and Le’Anthony Washington have all pleaded guilty in this case. Hardy is scheduled for sentencing in May. Washington is awaiting a new sentencing date, and Jackson was sentenced to 28 years in prison. 
 
 Now three of the defendants will stand trial for other crimes in Montgomery that reportedly occurred before they arrived in Elmore County. Jackson and Hardy are charged with murder in Montgomery County and Washington is charged with first-degree robbery and second-degree kidnapping. 
 
 Copyright 2018 WSFA 12 News. All rights reserved.
– Lakieth Smith probably regrets his decision to turn down a 25-year plea deal offered to the Alabama teen in March. On Thursday, the 18-year-old was sentenced to 65 years in prison on charges of burglary, theft, and felony murder, reports the Montgomery Advertiser. It was actually a police officer, not Smith, who shot and killed 16-year-old A'Donte Washington when officers encountered Washington, Smith, and three others breaking into two homes in Millbrook on Feb. 25, 2015. Some of the suspects fired at police, and Washington was shot four times as he aimed a revolver at one officer, who was cleared of wrongdoing. Under Alabama's accomplice law, a person can be held responsible for a death if it occurs during the commission of a crime. The four remaining suspects were charged. Jadarien Hardy, 22; Jhavarske Jackson, 23; and La'Anthony Washington, 22, ultimately took plea deals, per the Advertiser. But Smith rejected the 25-year recommended sentence offered. Convicted in March, he smiled and laughed during his sentencing, per WSFA. "I don't think Mr. Smith will be smiling long when he gets to prison," says district attorney CJ Robinson. Noting Smith showed no remorse, Judge Sibley Reynolds handed down a 30-year sentence for felony murder, a 15-year sentence for burglary, and two 10-year sentences for theft, to be served consecutively. "It will be a long time before he comes up for even the possibility for parole, at least 20 to 25 years," Robinson says. His lawyer protested that Smith was 15 and "scared to death" at the time of the crime. He "never shot anybody."