Trial in Dale City killings set to begin
Pinckney
The teen charged with killing a mother and son in Dale City in December will stand trial this week.
Xavier Jamaal Pinckney, 18, is charged with four counts of capital murder, two counts of first-degree murder, five counts of use or display of a firearm in the commission of a felony and one count each of robbery and statutory burglary for the Dec. 19 shooting deaths of Jean Smith, 39, and her son James, 19.
The trial is set to begin Monday in Prince William Circuit Court.
Pinckney waived his right to a jury trial and his case will be decided by Judge Mary Grace O’Brien.
Pinckney is accused of shooting the Smiths during a burglary at their Dale City home.
Police believe that Pinckney broke into the Smiths’ house and shot James Smith as he slept on a living room couch.
Later, when Jean Smith returned home and tried to call for help, Pinckney shot her, police say.
Police also believe Pinckney stole several items from the home on Langford Court in the Lindendale area.
A witness reported seeing someone who matched Pinckney’s description in the neighborhood around the time of the shooting, police said.
Pinckney is charged with capital murder but will not face the death penalty because he was a juvenile at the time of the crime.
If convicted of capital murder, he faces up to life in prison.
Staff writer Amanda Stewart can be reached at 703-878-8014.
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Reader Reactions
Its just me - If your not going to take the time to read, or fail to understand the context of the submissions—Stay out of the adult conversations!
Red it again or have some read it for you. Bottom line, age should have nothing to do with this case, especially if he has priors. If you can’t abide by the laws of society and respect your fellow man, c’ya….
I am guessing the people that were forced to live next to this clown would have a better opinion on how we got to this point. If he had been breaking into people home since middle school, and committing many other crimes why on this green earth would anyone be arguing on his behalf? Stop calling him a child that is laughable, he is a thug, loser and should be put underground, why should I have to pay for him to live rent free for the rest of his pointless life? In addition, he gets free prison medical care? For the record my vote is death and his lazy parents should be sued to they are penny-less for raising this waste of space. Dale city is still a good place to live people need to work hard to make sure it says that way, weed out the thugs.
fry him
He stole three cars from his next door neighbor broke into their house in the middle of the night as they sleep…oh he didnt know right from wrong,are you living in a hole in the ground, he intentionally would knock on our neighbor doors, to see if anyone answered, if they didnt he would break in…period, he he stole our sense of security in this area,,,he was NOT alone in the vehicle theft, and his other accomplices are still running around ...free..his family needs to leave this neighborhood they are an embarrassment to all of us.e sure should have had his a** whipped as a young child, but he was NEVER disciplined,,but who cares as long as the parents were not being robbed..funny how al our houses were broken into except his own house,,,
Pickney has been in trouble since he entered Beville Middle School,Please stop with the “his poor parents blah blah blah..his parents let him run like a wild animal all hours of the night”, this punk has been breaking into homes since he was in middle school.His parents were to freakin lazy to discipline this waste, I live next door to this piece of sh** family.This killing was no surprise to this community, we knew it was coming,this punk ran the streets while, his parents sat on their lazy butts watching TV,the police visited his house on a regular basis. Please stop with the be a boy scout and help this disturbed ‘baby’ out, the community where he robbed and stole vehicles and stole lives and where we still live in terror tried. He is a waste, period.
I never said he did not know right from wrong. He WAS a child when he committed the crime. He has been found guilty, as of today. But children can be rehabilitated. Do I think he should be let on the streets? Definitely not. But he should not be executed for something he did as a child.
Well if he is to young to know right from wrong then why is he even being tried? That man in the picture that is being ACCUSED of the crime is NOT a child. I believe that he deserves a fair trial, and if found guilty, worthy of a swift death. My opinion and meaningless as far as this case is concerned…
I never said it was a “simple” mistake. And in the state of VA, you are a child until you are 18 or emancipated in a court. Yes you can join the military or get married(with parental consent). But ADULTS do not need consent. Can a 17 year old buy cigarettes? No. Can they go into an adult store or buy liquor? No. He is a child. You believe the Supreme Court was wrong in their age-setting decision…not everyone else does.
mainemom
I believe you wholeheartedly. Most people find it loathsome just as you do. The taking of a life is never an easy decision and never should be.
Bringing in to this equation the taking of a completely innocent life is what prompted me respond to you. I abhor the death penalty as well as abortion. Sometimes there are circumstances that go beyond what civilized people can accept and only then should we be made to resort to the unthinkable. Not a good solution, but a solution non the less.
vmj- I know that I could never answer that question accurately without ever having been in that position, but my heart tells me that killing this young man will never bring back the deceased and spending the rest of his life behind bars is more suffering than a quick death.
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