UPDATE: Court hearing continued for double murder suspect
17-year-old Xavier Pinckney faces two counts of felony murder in the shooting deaths of Jean and Jim Smith of Dale City. He appears in court today for the first time.
A Prince William County juvenile court judge has continued a hearing to certify 17-year-old Xavier Pinckney as an adult to stand trial in the murders of Jean and Jim Smith.
His first-degree murder charges are now expected to upgraded to capital murder on Feb. 18.
Pinckney was charged last month in the slayings of Jean Smith, 39, and Jim Smith, 19, who were killed inside their Dale City home on Dec. 19.
Pinckney also faces burglary charges stemming from the incident.
Pinckney’s 22-year-old girlfriend and another teen 19-year-man have also been charged.
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Before we condemn anyone, let alone a teenager to die, please brush up on your death penalty knowledge. For those of you who think life in prison is “living off” tax payers perhaps you most of all should educate yourselves. The death penalty is far more expensive (trial, automatic appeal, further possible appeal, all paid for by the state tax payers). Some estimate the state of Virginia could save $5 Million dollars a year if it did away with the Death penalty. I’m not saying we should slap him on the wrist, by all means life in prison. The crime is terrible. Just don’t argue for the death penalty because you think it saves money… it doesn’t it’s proven, vengance is a better argument than economics.
Why was this thug free in the first place if he had been arrested multiple times? Something interesting to note: in a previous news article, police only referred to him having one conviction. Did our Commonwealth’s Attorney office led by Paul Ebert botch the other cases against him or did they just drop the charges?
I love love to see the death penalty in this case, but because of his age, he is protected.
Who was there to protect Jean and Jimmy? I agree, he could of walked out of the house without killing anyone, but he did not.
Now, he will get life in prison (if we are lucky), but that is still to good. He will not have to worry about anything.
He will have a roof over his head, a hard bed to sleep on, three meals a day, tv to watch, time to work out and who pays for this? WE DO!!!
He kills our friends and now will we take care of him for the rest of his life with our taxes dollars.
This is NOT FAIR!
The death penalty is not applicable to a 17 year old, even if he is charged as an adult. Most states now have this law. If he is convicted of capital murder, he will receive life without the possibility of parole. This is why the Commonwealth’s attorney is moving to upgrade the charges from first degree to capital murder. And if you think about it, at only 17, he’ll be in prison for a long, long time.
What a total waste of life all the way around. What is wrong with people?
Thank God Virginia still has the death penalty. Let’s hope the system works.
Yeah, This BOY, will get what’s coming to him. Karma is a B. I hope god doesn’t take mercy on his soul and he suffers for the rest of his life. Piece of crap.
Hopefully this boy will get life in prison WITHOUT the possibility of parole. This chicken *$&% little boy could very well left the house when he notice the young man sleeping on the couch. But no, in cold blood, he shot and killed this young man then continued to rob the house. Then the mother comes home and he shoots and killed her in cold blood. If death penalty screams, it is definatley for this. This boy has no soul and deserves to NEVER walk the streets again.
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