MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The rescheduled mercy phase portion of the murder trial for a Fairmont man convicted in the murder of a WVU student will begin Tuesday.
Shaudarius Reeder and accomplice Terrell Linear were convicted of first-degree murder in the shooting of Eric Smith at the College Park Apartments in February 2020.
The jury found Linear guilty of first-degree murder with mercy. Reeder was also convicted of first-degree murder, but the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict in the mercy phase.
In response, the West Virginia State Supreme Court ordered a new jury to be empaneled to rehear evidence for the mercy portion of Reeder’s case.
Smith, Linear, and Reeder began to argue in a car while traveling from downtown to a residence at the College Park Apartments. When they arrived, a fight broke out in the parking lot, and Smith was able to escape inside the building.
Linear and Reeder then got firearms from the car and went into the building to find Smith. Court documents said the pair knocked on several doors because they wanted residents to witness the shooting. When Smith opened a door, Linear and Reeder fired seven times, killing Smith.
The mercy phase proceeding is scheduled to begin Tuesday in the Monongalia County Justice Center at 9 a.m.