Robert Smith

On a December evening in San Antonio, Texas, Robert Smith, a 20-year-old male, was killed in an act of sudden violence. The incident also claimed the life of a 14-year-old boy, Bobby Lee Carter Jr. The loss devastated their families and prompted a response from local law enforcement concerned about a rise in violent crime.

The shooting happened around 9:20 p.m. on December 17, 2020, in the 7300 block of Ruebens Drive on the city's Northeast Side. According to the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, Smith and Carter were in a car for a planned marijuana sale. Witnesses reported that two men approached the vehicle with the intent to rob them. During the robbery, shots were fired, and both Robert Smith and Bobby Lee Carter Jr. were killed at the scene.

In the aftermath, Sheriff Javier Salazar announced that a mobile substation would be set up in the area to address the increase in drug-related homicides. The family of Bobby Lee Carter Jr. spoke out publicly against gun violence. His parents, Victoria and Bobby Lee Carter Senior, described their son as a happy boy with a good heart who loved football. They were heartbroken by the senselessness of the crime. “They got what they wanted,” his father said. “Why take his life. Why hurt him?”

The investigation led authorities to identify two suspects, Jaylen Dears and James Alexander Miller. Both men were arrested and eventually indicted by a grand jury on charges of capital murder. The indictment alleged that Dears and Miller had intentionally caused the deaths of Smith and Carter while in the course of committing a robbery.

The case concluded in December 2023. Rather than proceeding to trial for capital murder, both Jaylen Dears and James Miller accepted plea agreements. They pleaded guilty to the reduced charge of aggravated robbery. For their roles in the killings of Robert Smith and Bobby Lee Carter Jr., both men were sentenced to serve 22 years in prison.