AURORA, Colo. — Following a nearly three-week trial, an Adams County jury convicted a man of first-degree murder in the killing of a man who was fatally shot as part of an effort to cover up a payroll scheme at an Aurora distribution center.
Jerrelle Smith, 44, was convicted of first-degree murder, COCCA pattern of racketeering and theft on Thursday. He will be sentenced at a later date, but faces a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole for the first-degree murder conviction.
According to investigators, Smith was the mastermind behind the payroll scheme at a King Soopers Distribution Center at 1700 Tower Road in Aurora operated by Capstone Logistics. Smith and several of his friends at the facility stole thousands of dollars from Capstone by fenagling the payroll system through the use of ghost employees.
Ryan Dillard was hired on Oct. 4, 2021, to replace a former supervisor at the facility. The payroll scheme came to light as he transitioned into his new role. Michael Poydras, a former Capstone employee, was a beneficiary of that scheme. At the time of Dillard’s hiring, Poydras was still on the payroll but no longer an active employee for the company.
Smith hired Poydras to murder Dillard. On Oct. 21, 2021, Poydras hid behind a sign on the property and ambushed Dillard as he left the facility to pick up breakfast for his employees. He opened fire on Dillard’s vehicle and fled the scene. Dillard died as a result of the shooting.
Last July, a separate jury convicted Poydras of first-degree murder and he was sentenced to life without parole.
“The facts of this case are like something out of a movie as they’re impossible to comprehend in real life,” District Attorney Brian Mason said. “Smith stole thousands and thousands of dollars from Capstone Logistics and then hired a beneficiary of that scheme to murder a fellow employee in cold blood.”
Following Smith's arrest, his attorneys successfully argued to the state Supreme Court that defendants charged with first-degree murder must be eligible for bail in the absence of capital punishment in Colorado. The ruling means those charged with first-degree murder can no longer be held without bond.
