Man Arrested In Georgia For Tucson Cold Case Murders

On June 7, 2004, 35-year-old Alex Grijalva was found murdered inside of an apartment in the 8000 block of East Lakeside Drive. The cause of death was determined to be from blunt force trauma.

Homicide Detectives investigated the incident and obtained probable cause to believe that 23-year-old Damion Smith was involved in the murder. Smith was not located at the time, so detectives obtained a First Degree Murder Warrant for his arrest.

On December 31, 2004, 24-year-old Richard Vega was stabbed to death during an altercation inside of an apartment in the 6400 block of East Golf Links Road. Damion Smith was identified as the person responsible for the murder. Smith was again not located and a second arrest warrant was obtained for First Degree Murder. Detectives continued their search for Smith, but over the years, leads in the investigation began to fade.

On October 16, 2017, the U.S. Marshals Arizona WANTED Violent Offender Task Force began assisting Tucson Police with the fugitive investigation.

On October 19, 2017, in the District of Arizona, Judge Lynette Kimmons issued an arrest warrant for Damion Smith.

With the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force, it was determined that Damion Smith was possibly living under the alias name of his brother Steven Smith, who has been incarcerated in a federal prison since 1993. It was then determined Damion Smith had been stopped for speeding by Georgia law enforcement in April 2017, and eluded apprehension by providing the alias name. Body camera footage from the traffic stop was obtained by the USMS and confirmed Damion Smith’s true identity. Based on this information, the U.S. Marshals South East Regional Fugitive Task Force in Atlanta located and apprehended Smith at a residence in North Atlanta during the early morning hours on November 16, 2017.

Damion Smith, now 38-years-old, is currently in custody in Atlanta, Georgia, awaiting extradition back to Pima County.

U.S. Marshal David Gonzales for the District of Arizona commented, “The families of Damion Smith’s victims have waited for over thirteen years for this day. The Tucson Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Service never forgot the families and the horrendous crimes with which Damion Smith is charged.”

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