Hwy 169 murder suspect loses phone privileges after allegedly tampering with witnesses from jail
jamal smith (Hennepin County Jail)
(FOX 9) - The man charged with the deadly shooting of a baseball coach after an altercation along Highway 169 in Plymouth, Minnesota over the summer has had his phone privileges revoked in jail.
Jamal Smith is being held on $3.5 million bail for the deadly shooting of Jay Boughton last July. But even behind bars, prosecutors say Smith has caused trouble.
Last month, in a court filing, prosecutors accused Smith of witness tampering by phone. According to court documents, Smith called witnesses to tell them to stop talking to police and even to take steps to get an attorney and to recant prior statements. He also is accused of asking a person to delete his Facebook account, which the state said contained evidence in the case.
Prosecutors also claimed that Smith had put a $25,000 bounty on a man he wanted to be killed, apparently unrelated to the current murder case. On October 20, after a hearing was held on the alleged phone calls, the judge ordered Smith not to have contact of any kind with witnesses in the case.
In a court document filed on Monday, the judge granted the state's motion to take away Smith's phone privileges to anyone besides his attorneys.
The judge also denied a motion by the defense to restrict prosecutors from contacting the jail on Smith.
Smith faces first-degree murder in Boughton's murder. He is set to return to court for his next hearing on December 1.