DURANGO, Colo.—A 20-year-old woman charged in the killing of a man in southwestern Colorado has been sentenced to eight years in prison.
The Durango Herald reports ( ) Shanice Smith, of Farmington, N.M., was sentenced Friday. She pleaded guilty to accessory to murder and robbery stemming from the April 3, 2012, shooting death of 39-year-old Joey Benavidez at his mother’s house near Ignacio.
The shooting is believed to have resulted from a drug deal gone wrong.
Court records say Smith accompanied her cousin, Tommy Lee Mitchell, and friend Elijah Anglin to confront Benavidez, but she never entered the home. Smith remained in a car outside the house with a rifle by her side—on call if she needed to come inside.
Mitchell and Anglin are awaiting trial for first-degree murder.
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Information from: Durango Herald,
