Otis Ray Smith convicted of murder in Bossier County

BOSSIER PARISH, La. (KSLA) – A Bossier Parish jury found a man guilty of murder.

On Friday, Nov. 22, the jury deliberated for less than three hours and concluded that 24-year-old Otis Ray Smith Jr. He unanimously ruled him second-degree murder.

Smith killed 20-year-old Adrian Carradine in 2020.

Carradine was shot Feb. 10, 2020, inside a home on Alison Boulevard in south Bossier. 26th Judicial District Court officials said Carradine was in the home with five other people that night when two people fired into the walls of the home. The two shooters were Raymond Henry and Smith. Carradine was shot in the chest and died.

Bossier City police officers testified at trial about the high-speed chase after shots were fired. Dashcam video taken by police shows the chase eventually ending on Clyde Fant Parkway with Henry and Smith getting out of the car and trying to flee.

The 15-year-old female driver was caught immediately. However, Henry was captured after a short chase. Smith managed to escape that night. He was arrested in June 2023.

During the trial, jurors also heard from detectives who found that both guns were used in the shooting, including the one thrown by Smith from the getaway car. Detectives who recovered the weapons cataloged more than 25 bullet casings at the scene. A firearms identification expert from the North Louisiana Crime Lab was able to match the casings to the two guns found.

OTHER CRIME AT ARKLATEX

Jurors were able to see two different shooting paths thanks to the Bossier City Police Department’s 3D scanner software. These scenes were recreated for jurors to see based on where the bullet casings were found at the scene.

Further evidence showed that Smith’s DNA and fingerprints were found in the car. The 15-year-old driver and Henry also identified him as being in the car and both said he was the second shooter.

“The Bossier City Police Department should be commended for a job well done. They delivered a solid file to our office containing video, DNA, seized firearms, crime scene scans and fingerprints. Phillip Stout and Katie Traweek from the North Louisiana Crime Lab also did an outstanding job on this case. The analysts there always do an excellent job, both in the lab and in court. I am proud of everyone involved in this case,” said Bossier Webster District Attorney Schuyler Marvin.

Smith faces a mandatory life sentence. He will be sentenced by Judge Doug Stinson on April 14, 2025.

Related Posts