Trial date set for Marion man accused in deadly roadside ambush of New Mexico State Police officer

HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — A Marion man accused in March of setting a deadly roadside ambush that claimed the life of a New Mexico State Police officer is set for trial later this month, federal court records show.

Jury selection in the case of 33-year-old Jaremy Smith will begin at 9 a.m. on Oct. 21 in U.S. District Court’s Albuquerque division, according to an order signed Wednesday by Judge James O. Browning.

Smith’s trial has been delayed three times since an original June 10 date. He’s accused in the death of Ofc. Justin Hare along Interstate 40 west of Tucumcari on March 15.

He’s accused in the roadside killing of Ofc. Justin Hare along Interstate 40 west of Tucumcari on March 15.

Hare pulled over to help Smith who was stranded along the highway when Smith shot him, according to court documents. Smith then fled in Hare’s police unit and crashed it.

Smith is charged with carjacking resulting in death and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.

In August, attorneys said Smith’s case involves 20,000 pages of discovery including law enforcement reports, photographs, videos, phone records, GPS data and other material.

If convicted, Smith won’t face the death penalty.

Smith also faces 17 charges related to the death of Phonesia Machado-Fore, a Pee Dee paramedic whose body was found March 15 outside of Lake View in Dillon County.

Officials say he was driving Machado-Fore’s white BMW when Hare stopped to help him.

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Adam Benson joined the News13 digital team in January 2024. He is a veteran South Carolina reporter with previous stops at the Greenwood Index-Journal, Post & Courier and The Sun News in Myrtle Beach. Adam is a Boston native and University of Utah graduate. Follow Adam on X, formerly Twitter, at @AdamNewshound12 . See more of his work here .

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