BEXAR COUNTY – A man who was on trial for the fatal shooting of his uncle in 2022 was found not guilty on Friday.
J’Coery Smith was acquitted of the murder charge after the jury deliberated for 45 minutes.
Prosecutors argued Smith acted on a threat while the defense maintained he was protecting himself against his uncle, 31-year-old Roger Allen.
On June 20, 2022, minutes after firing several shots at a home on Moon Rock near Wagner High School, Smith called 911 to report the shooting.
“I just shot my uncle,” Smith told dispatchers, according to court testimony.
Smith claimed Allen entered his home, threatened him and took one of his weapons. The two had previously worked together but had a falling out before the shooting.
Prosecutors said Allen’s wife recalled Smith making a threatening comment days earlier, which they argue he carried out.
During testimony, Bexar County prosecutor Vanessa Hutchinson said that Smith retrieved a handgun, chambered a round and shot Allen after he left the house.
However, the defense argued Smith’s story remained consistent from the 911 call — asserting Allen was the aggressor, a detail Allen’s wife did not dispute.
According to his wife’s testimony, Allen told her that he was going over to fight Smith.
The defense also brought up Allen’s record as a convicted felon and referred to him as “a violent person.”
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