CINCINNATI -- In a surprise move Monday morning, the man who admitted to shooting and killing 22-year-old Porshia Brooks and injuring her boyfriend in 2013 withdrew his guilty plea at his sentencing hearing.
When 23-year-old Jaleel Smith-Riley chose to reverse his plea halfway through sentencing, it was a shock to the families of both victims and to his attorneys, partially because it's a move that puts the death penalty back on the table.
"At least it's a different stage where we can move on past this part and move on to finding some peace within ourselves," said Porshia's mother, Sharon Brooks.
The mother of Porshia Brooks brought her ashes to court today. She says the whole family is disappointed. @WCPO pic.twitter.com/K71rWDyEgH
— Kristen Swilley (@KristenSwilley) September 12, 2016
Smith-Riley is due back in court in October.
Prosecutor Joe Deters has told WCPO that Riley-Smith shot Brooks and her boyfriend, Aron Martin, during a robbery on Nov. 16, 2013. Martin survived, but Brooks died three days later.
The couple was sitting in a parked car on Carthage Avenue in Norwood when Riley-Smith approached the car and ordered Martin out, according to police. After finding Martin had nothing of value to rob, Riley-Smith shot him in the head, then leaned into the vehicle and fatally shot Brooks, Deters said.
