Teens Charged With Murder To Be Tried In Adult Court

Emanuel Beard

(Sept. 19, 2012), Jackson TN-- Following a transfer hearing today in Madison County Juvenile Court, the judge ruled that there was sufficient probable cause to proceed with charges of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and aggravated assault on the two teens charged in the shooting death of Jarvis Vinson.

The judge additionally ruled that the two teens, Emanuel Beard, 17, and Jateryance Smith, 18, will be tried as adults. Smith was 17-years-old when the crime was committed.

The teens were transferred from the juvenile detention center to the Madison County Jail. The judge ordered them both held without bond.

Jateryance Smith

The investigation determined that there was an altercation between individuals in the early morning hours of August 11. Beard and Smith were not involved in the fight but received a phone call about it shortly afterward. Smith and Beard then traveled, in Smith's silver Oldsmobile, to the area of Brianfield Drive in response to the call. A third man, who was an adult, then got into the car with them.

Around 3:20 a.m., Smith drove past Vinson, 23, and Dennis Coman, 27, while they were outside a fourplex apartment building on the 20 block of Brianfield Drive. Beard and the adult both fired shots from Smith's car. Vinson was struck once and was pronounced dead at the hospital at 5:25 a.m.

Police recovered a semi-automatic handgun from Beard's home. The investigation is ongoing