Man sentenced to life for 2021 killing of Chicago dance coach: state’s attorney

The Brief

  • Diontay Kimberly was sentenced to life in prison for the 2021 shooting death of 32-year-old dance coach Verndell Smith in a South Side Dunkin’ parking lot.
  • Surveillance video from the parking lot and a nearby car wash helped detectives identify Kimberly, capturing his vehicle, license plate, and a distinctive gold bracelet.
  • Smith was shot multiple times and died at the University of Chicago Medical Center; Kimberly was arrested months later after attempting to retrieve his towed vehicle.

CHICAGO A man accused of killing a dance coach on Chicago’s South Side in May 2021 has been sentenced to life in prison, prosecutors said.

What we know:

Diontay Kimberly was charged in 2022 with fatally shooting 32-year-old Verndell Smith in a Dunkin’ parking lot on May 19, 2021, near Smith’s dance studio.

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