MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) – A man who fled to Arkansas after a shooting in 2020 pleaded guilty to murder Monday as part of a deal with prosecutors.
In exchange for the plea, Mobile County Circuit Judge Jay York accepted the prosecution’s recommendation to sentence Ryan Timothy Smith to 20 years in prison. He also granted the prosecution recommendation to dismiss charges of tampering with evidence and abuse of a corpse.
Smith, 34, of Mobile, said little in court Monday except to acknowledge that he understood his rights. He was more loquacious in November 2020 as law enforcement officers were leading him to Mobile County Metro Jail following his return from Arkansas.
“I’m innocent,” he told reporters at the time…