DeMarcus Maurice Smith was born on July 3, 1975, in Dayton, Ohio. He grew up in a community where poverty, instability, and crime were common, and like many at-risk youth, he was exposed to an environment that shaped his early choices. By the time he reached his teenage years, Smith was already drifting toward delinquent behavior.

In his late teens, Smith entered into a relationship with Heather Matthews, who was three years older than him and who would later become his co-defendant. Through Matthews, Smith became involved with other young adults, including Marvallous Keene, the nineteen-year-old who would lead the gang responsible for the Dayton Christmas killings, and Laura Taylor, who was only sixteen at the time. Together, the four called themselves the Downtown Posse and became inseparable companions during the Christmas holiday of 1992.

Although Smith was only seventeen years old, he was already heavily influenced by Keene’s leadership and emboldened by the group dynamic. The friendship, his romantic involvement with Matthews, and the allure of easy money through robbery drew him into criminal activity.

The spree began on December 24, 1992, when Keene, Matthews, and Taylor lured Joseph Wilkerson to his home with the promise of sex. After tying him up and searching his home for valuables, Keene shot Wilkerson and Taylor delivered another fatal shot. Smith was not present for this murder but soon joined the group as they continued their rampage that same night.

Later that evening, the group encountered Danita Gullette, an eighteen-year-old high school senior who was using a payphone. Smith and Keene demanded her shoes and jacket at gunpoint. After she complied, both men opened fire and killed her in cold blood. When the group returned to their apartment, Taylor was seen wearing Gullette’s jacket, and Smith was carrying her shoes. The killing was senseless and motivated only by theft and thrill.

On the same night, the group also attacked Jeffrey Wright, the former boyfriend of Heather Matthews. After an argument, Smith shot Wright four times in the legs. Wright managed to survive by fleeing to a neighbor’s house.

The following day, Christmas Day, December 25, 1992, Taylor lured her ex-boyfriend Richmond Maddox into driving her through Dayton. While Maddox was behind the wheel, Taylor shot him in the head. Smith, Keene, and Matthews followed in another car, ensuring that Maddox was eliminated.

On December 26, the group escalated their crimes by targeting the Short Stop Mini Market in Dayton. Earlier in the day, they had robbed a woman named Kathie Henderson and stolen her vehicle. Once inside the grocery store, Smith and Keene pointed guns at Sarah Abraham, a thirty-eight-year-old mother of three, and demanded money. After Abraham handed them forty dollars, Keene shot her in the head. At the same time, Smith fired into the store, wounding Jones Pettus in the abdomen. Another man, Edward Thompson, escaped unharmed. Abraham survived long enough to be hospitalized but died four days later.

Later that evening, paranoia overcame the gang. They believed that acquaintances might expose them to police. They specifically targeted Wendy Cottrill, age sixteen, and Marvin Washington, age eighteen, who knew about their earlier crimes. The group lured Cottrill and Washington to a gravel pit. Cottrill pleaded for her life, insisting she had not spoken to police. Nevertheless, Keene shot and killed her while Smith executed Washington. Cottrill, who was reportedly three months pregnant at the time, and Washington were both left at the scene. Their bodies were not discovered until five days later.

Police quickly moved in on the group the same day. After spotting them in Henderson’s stolen car, authorities followed the vehicle to a house where Wilkerson’s stolen car had been hidden. Smith attempted to escape on foot but was soon captured. Keene, Matthews, and Taylor were arrested while trying to leave the residence.

As Smith was only seventeen at the time of the crimes, he was initially charged in juvenile court. However, prosecutors sought and obtained approval to try him as an adult. In 1994, he was convicted of multiple counts of aggravated murder, aggravated robbery, and attempted murder. Because of his age, Smith was not eligible for the death penalty. He was instead sentenced to life in prison with parole eligibility only after serving more than one hundred years.

Smith’s girlfriend, Heather Matthews, received two consecutive life sentences after a plea deal spared her the death penalty. Laura Taylor was also sentenced to life in prison. Keene, who had been the ringleader and triggerman in most of the murders, was sentenced to death and executed by lethal injection in 2009.

DeMarcus Smith has spent more than three decades in the Ohio prison system. He was originally housed at the Mansfield Correctional Institution but was later transferred to the North Central Correctional Institution.

As of 2025, Smith remains incarcerated and is still serving his life sentence. His next parole hearing is scheduled for 2034, although it is unlikely that he will ever be released given the nature of his crimes and the number of victims involved.