Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

Jackson, TN – A Jackson man who fatally shot his wife has been sentenced federally for unlawful possession of multiple firearms. Edward L. Stanton III, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, announced the sentence today.

According to information presented in court, Michael Allen Smith Sr., 44, of Jackson, Tennessee, unlawfully possessed multiple firearms, including a Ruger .40 caliber pistol, which he used to fatally shoot his wife.

On August 9, 2013, Jackson Police Department (JPD) officers were dispatched on a shots-fired call in the Hollyridge Cove area of Jackson. Officers arrived on the scene and made contact with two children. One of the children reportedly advised that their father, Smith, had killed their mother, Christy Smith. Upon entering the residence, officers discovered the body of Christy Smith lying unresponsive in the hallway with a large pool of blood coming from her head. The Assistant County Coroner arrived on the scene and pronounced the victim dead. A single gunshot wound to the face in her nose was determined to be the cause of death. The victim also had wounds to the forehead consistent with blunt force trauma.

Subsequent to the murder, JPD investigators spoke with one of the Smiths’ children, who advised that their parents had been arguing for the past couple of days. The child said they overheard Smith threaten their mother earlier that day, stating that Christy Smith was not going to leave him. The defendant eventually left the residence to go pick up his other child. Once Smith returned, he attempted to get Christy Smith to leave with him, but she refused. Smith then instructed the children to leave the residence and deliver peaches to their neighbors. Shortly after leaving, one of the children received a phone call from a relative instructing them to check on their mother. When they returned, Smith was no longer there, but their mother, Christy Smith, was lying on the floor unresponsive and in a pool of blood.

Law enforcement was able to apprehend Smith in the early morning hours of August 10, 2013. A search warrant was executed on the Smiths’ residence, which yielded multiple firearms that belonged to the defendant.

In August 2015, Smith pled guilty to multiple counts of felony firearm possession.

On Monday, March 14, 2016, Smith was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge J. Daniel Breen to 120 months, the statutory maximum allowed under federal law, for unlawfully possessing multiple firearms.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Jackson Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Wilson prosecuted this case on the government’s behalf.

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