Jaron Smith

Jaron Smith, a 32-year-old male rapper from Palm Coast, Florida, was at a party in Daytona Beach on the night of June 4, 2023. He was celebrating significant career achievements, including signing a record deal and reaching one million views on Instagram. During the celebration outside a party suite on Orange Avenue, Smith began burning money, which led to a confrontation.

According to witnesses, Robert Blue, a 27-year-old music manager also known as 'Blue Chezz,' approached Smith and questioned why he was burning money. Their argument escalated into a physical fight. Smith reportedly pepper-sprayed Blue and punched him in the face. In response, Blue pulled out a 9mm handgun and shot Smith multiple times as he tried to run away. Investigators later determined Smith had been shot in the back and legs.

The wounded Smith managed to get into his Ford Mustang but crashed at the corner of Orange Avenue and Caroline Street. Daytona Beach police officers, responding to a weapons complaint around 1:17 a.m., found Smith inside the crashed vehicle. He was transported to Halifax Health Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead about an hour later. Blue fled the scene in his vehicle immediately after the shooting.

Investigators quickly identified Blue as the suspect through witness testimony and a photo lineup. An arrest warrant was issued, and police took Blue into custody the next day, on June 5, 2023. He was charged with second-degree murder and violation of probation and was held at the Volusia County Branch Jail without bond.

In January 2025, Robert Blue, then 29, stood trial for the murder. Prosecutors argued that Blue shot an unarmed Smith in the back as he fled and then left the scene instead of rendering aid or calling the police. The defense claimed self-defense, stating that Smith had used a pepper spray pistol that Blue mistook for a real gun. After a three-day trial, a Volusia County jury found Robert Blue guilty of second-degree murder with a firearm. The conviction carries a sentence of up to life in prison, with a 25-year mandatory minimum. As of January 2025, Blue was awaiting sentencing.