Racine gang dispute killing, boy found guilty of homicide
Zontell Junior
RACINE, Wis. - A Racine County jury found a 16-year-old guilty of first-degree intentional homicide Friday, July 21.
Zontell Junior was accused of killing 16-year-old Quentin Smith last summer. Junior was 15 years old at the time.
The jury's verdict Friday came months after a mistrial had been declared in the case – a jury in April unable to reach a unanimous verdict.
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Prosecutors said Junior killed Smith because he was a member of a rival gang. According to a criminal complaint, a witness told investigators he was at his home with both teens at the time of the shooting. Junior said he was going to shoot Smith "because he messes with the opps," the witness said. Junior is affiliated with the "NFL Vice Lord" gang, while Smith was associated with the "Dirty P's" gang.
Later, the three were in the driveway when Junior got a call on his phone. The witness answered the phone, the complaint states, and while he was on the phone, the witness told investigators he heard a loud gunshot. He then saw Smith fall to the ground, and he saw that Junior had a gun. The witness said he ran inside to tell his mom while Junior ran inside, grabbed his phone from the witness's hands and left.
Quentin Smith (Courtesy: GoFundMe)
According to prosecutors, video showed Junior running to his home. A search of his home revealed only a black sweatshirt Junior was wearing at the time of the shooting. Junior was found at his grandmother's home, according to investigators. He was interviewed by police and initially said he was in the backyard going to the bathroom when the shooting happened, and said the witness was near the victim when he heard the shot. He said he then ran upstairs to tell the witness' mom what happened.
Investigators confronted Junior about the phone call he received at the time of the shooting. According to the complaint, Junior seemed "surprised" when notified that investigators listened to the call and knew the witness was on the phone when the shot was fired. Junior was also told that the witness told investigators Junior was the one who killed Smith.
At this point, Junior told investigators he wanted to show them something on his phone, but when told the investigators would have to open the phone and view it with him, he claimed to have deleted his call log. He did say Smith was shot with a "Ghost Glock," according to prosecutors.
Junior is due back in court for sentencing in September.