Arkansas mom seeks justice for daughter, unborn grandchild murdered in 2015
For the past six years, Belinda Allbright has sought justice for her daughter and unborn grandchild who were both murdered in December of 2015. Author: Frederick Price (KTHV) Updated: 7:28 PM CDT July 16, 2021
CLEVELAND COUNTY, Ark. 21-year-old Cherrish Allbright was killed in Cleveland County in December of 2015.
Since then, Belinda Allbright, Cherrish s mother, has worked closely with a state representative to get a bill passed to ensure that no one goes through a similar situation.
“She was a very sweet girl. She loved her brother, loved her family,” Allbright said.
No matter how hard she tries, the thought of how her daughter’s life ended will never fade from her memory.
Brad Hunter Smithâs capital murder conviction stands, but the court ordered a new sentencing.
Smith, now 25, was charged on January 7, 2016, with capital murder, kidnapping, and abuse of a corpse in the death of Cherrish Faith Allbright, 22 of the Randall community in Cleveland County.
Allbright was last seen by a family member the night of December 3, 2015 when she received a telephone call. A short time later, a vehicle pulled up to the house and Allbright went outside. She did not return.
A friend of Smith testified at trial that he called Allbright on December 3 under the pretense of wanting to smoke marijuana. He said he drove to a field where Smith and another friend were hiding behind trees. After Allbright exited the truck, Smith shot her through the back with a crossbow and hit her in the head with a baseball bat, according to court documents.
Resentencing ordered in death sentence case from Cleveland County
Resentencing ordered in death sentence case from Cleveland County
The
Arkansas Supreme Court today ruled that
Brad Hunter Smith should be resentenced on his capital murder conviction for the kidnapping and murder of Cherrish Allbright in Cleveland County in January 2016.
His conviction and death sentence were upheld originally, but in seeking post-conviction relief Smith said he’d had ineffective counsel because his trial lawyer dropped an objection to the prosecution’s using Allbright’s pregnancy as an aggravating circumstance justifying the death penalty.
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The Supreme Court’s 5-2 decision today turned on whether Allbright’s five-week-old embryo was a person under the statute, which says a person commits capital murder if “with the premeditated and deliberated purpose of causing the death of another person, the person causes the death of any person.”