Arieal Smith sentenced to 48 years in prison for murder in a love triangle
A 25-year-old woman in Indiana will spend several decades behind bars for killing a woman, shooting her outside a nightclub because the shooter’s sister was jealous of how much attention the victim was receiving from the shooter’s sister’s ex-boyfriend . Marion County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey L. Marchal ordered Arieal Smith to serve a 48-year sentence in a state correctional facility for the 2022 killing of Secoya Williams. Court records reviewed by Law&Crime Show.
In addition to murder, an Indianapolis jury also found her guilty of the crimes of pointing a firearm at another person and carrying a handgun without a license. However, the latter accusation was later overturned by the court. Marchal specifically sentenced Smith to 47 years on the murder charge and one year on the firearm possession charge, with the sentences running consecutively, that is, one after the other.
The shooter’s sister, 29-year-old Ebonie Parks, was also arrested in connection with Williams’ murder as she drove the vehicle in which she fled the scene. She was found guilty of assisting a criminal to commit murder and was subsequently sentenced to two years’ home confinement.
Arieal Smith and Ebonie Parks (Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Dept.)
According to a Press release Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers responded at approximately 1:30 a.m. on February 25, 2022 to a 911 call about a person shot outside Club Kalakutah, a nightclub in the 4700 block of Century Plaza Road. When first responders arrived at the scene, they located a 25-year-old woman, later identified as Williams, in the club’s parking lot, suffering from injuries that appeared to be the result of a gunshot wound to the upper body.
EMS took Williams to a local hospital for treatment. Unfortunately, she succumbed to her injuries shortly after arriving at the facility and was pronounced dead.
Court documents received from WXIN, an Indianapolis Fox affiliate, provided additional details on the incident.
The station reported that interviews with several witnesses at the scene revealed that Smith and Williams got into an altercation inside the club.
Smith was seen throwing a drink in the face of Williams, who was there to watch the performance of a male friend, Indianapolis NBC affiliate WTHR reported. The friend who performed had previously dated Parks, the report said.
The argument reportedly ended when a security guard escorted Smith out of the club and back onto the street.
Later that evening, Williams reportedly left the establishment, walked toward the vehicle Smith was in and began knocking on the window. At that point, according to police, Smith opened the car door and fired a single shot, striking Williams in the stomach. Parks then drove the vehicle away from the scene of the accident.
The sisters were arrested less than a week later and claimed they accidentally shot Williams while trying to fire a warning shot, WTHR reported.
“The defendant’s actions shortened one person’s life and put innocent bystanders in danger, and now two families have suffered the consequences,” Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said in a statement after the sentencing hearings, WXIN reported. “We hope today’s resolution provides comfort to Ms. Williams’ family as they continue to overcome this tragedy and honor her memory.”
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